Bengal is finally pulling down the shutters on Gutka consumption,
after Supreme Court directed states and Union Territories to ban the
manufacture, storage and sale of smokeless tobacco. The law has been put
into effect on and from May 1, 2013 and will continue to for a period
of one year. The food safety office has even ordered to cut down the
distribution of food products containing tobacco or nicotine in the
state.
The state health minister Chandrima Bhattacharyya has reported the concern of the Bengal Chief Minister on addiction to gutka, pan masala and other such products. As per the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2009-10, 36.3 % of Bengal’s population is tobacco users. The report further states that 25.8% of males and 17.8 % of females are mostly addicted to gutka. Doctors For You (DFY), an NGO, has earlier filed a litigation in Calcutta High Court stating it as a serious issue, especially when children at the ages of 18-19 are getting addicted to it. The easy availability has further made the addiction viral and invariably a difficult task for total eradication.
Mamata
Bannerjee has further added 10% tax hike on cigarettes, immediately
after the gutka ban notification was declared. But the effectiveness of
the ban is yet to be seen because law enforcement on smoking has not
seen much success. The prohibition on public smoking was enforced in the
state and a number of smokers have been fined for violating the norm.
But with time, people were regularly spotted smoking publicly and the
authorities hardly paid any heed.
Sale, manufacture and distribution of smokeless tobacco have already been banned by 23 states that include, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Bihar, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Mizoram, Sikkim, Orissa and Kerala, — and five Union Territories including Daman & Diu, Dadar Nagar Haveli, Andaman & Nicobar, Chandigarh,. These states and union territories have followed the regulation issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, on August 1, 2011. Now, the Supreme Court is asking for an explanation from those states, which have not yet followed the notification from the Centre.
Though the state government of Bengal has been pondering over the issue since last year, it has finally accepted the order keeping in mind the interest of public health. Here are some of the side effects of tobacco products like gutka or pan masala that every individual should be aware of.
The state health minister Chandrima Bhattacharyya has reported the concern of the Bengal Chief Minister on addiction to gutka, pan masala and other such products. As per the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2009-10, 36.3 % of Bengal’s population is tobacco users. The report further states that 25.8% of males and 17.8 % of females are mostly addicted to gutka. Doctors For You (DFY), an NGO, has earlier filed a litigation in Calcutta High Court stating it as a serious issue, especially when children at the ages of 18-19 are getting addicted to it. The easy availability has further made the addiction viral and invariably a difficult task for total eradication.
Mamata
Bannerjee has further added 10% tax hike on cigarettes, immediately
after the gutka ban notification was declared. But the effectiveness of
the ban is yet to be seen because law enforcement on smoking has not
seen much success. The prohibition on public smoking was enforced in the
state and a number of smokers have been fined for violating the norm.
But with time, people were regularly spotted smoking publicly and the
authorities hardly paid any heed.Sale, manufacture and distribution of smokeless tobacco have already been banned by 23 states that include, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Bihar, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Mizoram, Sikkim, Orissa and Kerala, — and five Union Territories including Daman & Diu, Dadar Nagar Haveli, Andaman & Nicobar, Chandigarh,. These states and union territories have followed the regulation issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, on August 1, 2011. Now, the Supreme Court is asking for an explanation from those states, which have not yet followed the notification from the Centre.
Though the state government of Bengal has been pondering over the issue since last year, it has finally accepted the order keeping in mind the interest of public health. Here are some of the side effects of tobacco products like gutka or pan masala that every individual should be aware of.
- Carcinogenic effects in mouth, liver, cervix, stomach, prostate and lung, are some of the most common outcomes.
- The tobacco users can even face breathing trouble due to the allergic reactions of nicotine.
- Skin discoloration, dilated pupils, blurred vision, muscle stiffness are some of the effects that addicts may face.
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