Centre Tells Kerala High Court Displaying Nicotine and Tar Levels on Cigarette Packs May Mislead Consumers
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Thiruvananthapuram, July 11: The Central Government has informed the Kerala High Court that making it mandatory to display the actual numerical levels of nicotine and tar on cigarette packets is not an effective public health measure.
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The submission was made by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in an additional affidavit filed in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking the strict implementation of the ban on smoking in public places.
According to the affidavit, displaying the numerical levels of nicotine and tar on cigarette packets could create a false impression among consumers that products with comparatively lower nicotine and tar levels are safer or less harmful than other tobacco products.
The PIL was filed by Sangeerthana of Elamakkara, Kochi, along with three others. The petitioners argued that cigarettes and other tobacco products are being sold in Kerala without mentioning the quantity of nicotine and tar or the mandatory maximum permissible limits under the proviso to Section 7(5) of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA).
Earlier, the Kerala High Court had directed the Central Government to clarify whether it had prescribed any maximum permissible limits for nicotine and tar in cigarettes and other tobacco products.
The additional affidavit was filed by Prabhakar, Joint Secretary of the Tobacco Division in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. It stated that there is no safe level of tobacco consumption and that all tobacco products are inherently harmful.
The affidavit further said that issuing a notification to enforce the legal provision requiring the disclosure of nicotine and tar content on cigarette packets falls within the policy domain of the Central Government.
It also stated that public health objectives are better achieved through the existing large pictorial and textual health warnings on tobacco products, which highlight the harmful effects of tobacco use.