Curb sale of tobacco products to minors, VoTV writes to DGPs

To stop minors from falling prey to tobacco products, a voluntary organisation, Voice of Tobacco Victims (VoTV), has written to the MP DGP besides all other DGPs to initiate action against people selling tobacco products to minors under the newly amended Juvenile Justice Act.
The Juvenile Justice Act (Care and Projection) 2015 was amended last year and it came into force on January 15, 2016.As per Clause 77, “Whoever gives, or causes to be given, to any child any intoxicating liquor or any narcotic drug or tobacco products or psychotropic substance, except on the order of a duly qualified medical practitioner, shall be punishable with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years and shall also be liable to a fine which may extend up to Rs 1 lakh.”
In their representation, VoTV has written that almost around 40 per cent of people use tobacco products while 90 per cent of cancer patients are smokers or tobacco users. Also, every day in India, 5,500 children initiate to use tobacco in some or the other form while Global Youth Survey states that 20 per cent of children use tobacco products. According to a World Health Organization (WHO) estimate, 38 per cent of male population in Madhya Pradesh smoke tobacco daily while 39 per cent population use smokeless tobacco leading to a rise in cancer cases. Besides, 47 per cent per cent of population in Madhya Pradesh used tobacco in any form (i.e. smoking or smokeless). The mean age of initiation of tobacco use among young age (15-34 years) people was 19 years for male smokers, and 20 years for male smokeless tobacco users.
Recently, Mumbai police became the first enforcement agency in the country to catch the retailer who was arrested for selling cigarettes to a student of Don Bosco School in the city. VoTV patron Dr Lalit Shrivastava from Madhya Pradesh medical officers association (MPMOA) said, “We doctors fully support this new Act and will make all efforts to push this through VoTV campaign to get this enforced in our state. Police must take action and save children of our society.”
Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, professor, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, said, “JJ Act recognizes the harmful effects of tobacco and tobacco industry’s marketing tactics to target vulnerable children as their new consumers. It reinforces the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) 2003 which miserably failed to protect the sale to minors because the fine imposed was only Rs 200.”