India renews its shocking images on tobacco packages

From December 2020, new pictograms designed to both discourage the temptation to start smoking and encourage smokers to quit smoking will appear on all tobacco products sold in India..

Last Thursday, the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare made public the amendment of July 21, 2020[1] to Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Rules 2008This third amendment to the Rules will come into force on 1 December 2020; it will cover changes to the rules applicable to packaging and labelling.

Content of the amendment

As of December 1, all tobacco products manufactured, imported or packaged in India will have to display a new series of shock pictograms.[2]. Furthermore, the amendment limits their validity in time.

In its communication of July 23, the Ministry also specifies that failure to comply with the new provisions will be punishable by two years of imprisonment and a fine of 5,000 rupees, as provided for in the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003 (prohibition of advertising and regulation of trade, production, supply and distribution)[3]In case of repeat offence, the penalty may be imprisonment for up to 5 years and the fine up to 10,000 rupees.

Products bearing the current warnings may only be sold until November 30, 2020[4].

What’s the point of changing shock images?

The most obvious benefit of placing visual warnings on tobacco packages is that a picture is worth a thousand words, and unpleasant images provoke negative emotions in (non-)users. In this sense, photographs depicting the worst aspects of smoking not only discourage non-smokers from starting to smoke, but also encourage smokers to quit.

To go further, by imposing the affixing of off-putting pictograms on tobacco packets, the State is reducing the ability of manufacturers to make their products attractive in order to attract ever more consumers, particularly younger ones.

The fact remains that human beings adapt quite well. Thus, by regularly renewing warnings, smokers and non-smokers do not adapt to the seriousness of the situation and can no longer choose to ignore all its dimensions.

By imposing a 12-month validity period, the Indian government is ensuring the effectiveness of this anti-smoking measure by preventing the general public from becoming accustomed to the shocking images.

  ©Generation Without Tobacco

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[1] Special Correspondent, Specified health warning on tobacco products packs, The Hindu online (New Delhi: July 23, 2020 - accessed July 24, 2020). [2] SHARMA Saumya, Enhanced and revised pictorial health warnings on tobacco products from Dec 1, Hindustan Times (New Delhi: July 24, 2020 - accessed July 24, 2020). [3] Tribune News Service, Govt notifies new enhanced pictorial health warnings for tobacco products, Tribune India (New Delhi: July 23, 2020 - accessed July 24, 2020). [4] CHAUBEY Arun Kumar, Health Ministry notifies new pictorial health warnings for tobacco products, ZeeNews (New Delhi: July 23, 2020 - accessed July 24, 2020). DNF - For a Zero Tobacco World | MT