Health Ministry Finally Gives the Nod for Gory Images on Cigarette and Beedi Packs

Come December and cigarette, beedi and chewable tobacco packets will feature gory images warning the users of potential dangers of using the products. The Union Health Ministry finally confirmed on Saturday that tobacco products will contain pictorial warnings on the packages and has already selection four images depicting a man suffering from lung and oral cancers. The health ministry also said that the images will be rotated every two years and hoped that they will provide a strong deterrence against consuming tobacco.

The Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had recently spoken about the alarming rise in the number of lung and oral cancer cases related to tobacco use, especially among those who chew tobacco.

“As there is high prevalence of smokeless tobacco use in the country and the consumption is more among the lower socio-economic class with low levels of literacy, it is hoped that strong pictorial warnings will definitely dissuade tobacco users from consuming tobacco products”, Azad said.

It is estimated that more than nine lakh people die every year due to tobacco related diseases while over a quarter of billion people across the country use various forms of tobacco products.


Source-Medindia