Assam bans smokeless tobacco, draws praises

The Assam government’s bold step in banning all forms of smokeless tobacco in the state has been widely lauded by oncologists in the state, and says that this ban will have a positive impact on curbing the oral cancer cases in the state which has increased substantially of late due to rampant and unchecked of tobacco products.

According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) in 2010, 39.3 percent population of Assam uses tobacco in some form or other, while 32.7% population in Assam uses smokeless tobacco.

In February this year, Assam had become the first state in the country to have enacted a landmark Act, Assam government’s Anti Tobacco (Prohibition of Manufacturing, Advertisement, Trade, Storage, Distribution, Sale, and Consumption of Zarda, Gutkha, Pan Masala, etc containing Tobacco and/or Nicotine), Act 2013, banning all forms of smokeless tobacco in the state.

Appreciating this bold move the Assam government, Dr A.C. Kataki, renowned oncologist from the North East region and director of the B. Barooah Cancer Institute in Assam, said that the government and the enforcing officials would certainly try and implement the Act keeping in mind the issue of public health and in greater interest of the society.

The Act strictly prohibits the manufacture, advertisement, trade, storage, distribution and sale of such substances besides mandating that violators of the Act would be punished with imprisonment up to seven years and a fine between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 5 lakh will be charged, while consumption or possession of zarda, gutkha and pan masala containing tobacco shall be punished with a fine of Rs 1,000 for the first offence and Rs 2,000 for each subsequent offence.

Executive Secretary of the Voluntary Health Association of Assam (VHAA) Ruchia Neog while hailing the government’s decision to ban all smokeless tobacco products in the state, called upon the designated enforcement officials to take action against the violators and implement the Act in its letter and spirit without capitulating to pressure tactics of any kind.

She also praised the efforts of the Health Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma for being instrumental in enacting this Act and expressed hope that the state government would “sincerely implement it and will not give in to the pressure tactics of the various bodies/entities that want to dilute the very essence of the Act for their own vested interests”.

Ms. Neog further went on to call upon the enforcers of the said Act to “treat the issue of tobacco control as a priority and try and implement the same with outmost sincerity so as to save our future generations from the menace called tobacco”.

The Assam government when approached pointed out that the government will deal strictly against violators.

Our first aim was to make the anti-tobacco bill operational for all forms of smokeless products. After this, our next mission is to ban smoking tobacco, and one day we will ban smoking tobacco as well,” said the Assam health minister.