New Specified Health Warning on Tobacco Products Packs

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India has notified new sets of specified health warnings for all tobacco product packs by making an amendment in the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labeling) Rules, 2008 vide GSR 331(E) dated 3^rd April 2018 “Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labeling) Second Amendment Rules, 2018”. The amended Rules will be applicable w.e.f. 1^st September 2018.

The new set of specified health warnings shall be-

a. Image-1, which shall be valid for a period of twelve months following its commencement.

Image- 1

(b) Image-2,which shall come into effect following the end of twelve months from the date of commencement of specified health warning of Image-1

Image- 2

One of the most important key features of the new set of specified health warnings will include telephone Quit-line number “QUIT TODAY CALL 1800-11-2356”. This will help in creating awareness among tobacco users, and give them access to counseling services to effect behavior change. It is also likely to lead to an increase in demand for tobacco cessation. Further, now the same set of warning images shall be on both smoking and smokeless forms of tobacco products.

The toll free Tobacco Quit-line Services [1800-11-2356] provides counseling and strategies for quitting tobacco use. As per the recent second round of Global Adult Tobacco Survey [GATS -2, 2016-17] conducted in the age group 15 years and above, 61.9% of current cigarette smokers, 53.8% of current bidi smokers and 46.2% of current smokeless tobacco users thought about quitting because of warning label on packets of cigarette, bidi and smokeless tobacco.

The said notification along with printable version of warnings is available on the Ministry’s website i.e. www.mohfw.gov.in. Printable versions of the new warnings in all regional languages shall also soon be made available on Ministry’s website. In view of the above, it is informed that before the new set of specified health warning come into force from 1^st September, 2018, the existing specified health warnings on tobacco product packs shall be continued till 31^st August, 2018, as per amendment made in the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labeling) Rules, 2008 vide GSR 283 (E) dated 26^th March 2018.

[Department of Health and Family Welfare Notification dated 26 March 2018]

G.S.R. 283(E).—In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (1) of section 7, section 8, subsection (2) of section 9, section 10 and section 31 of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 (34 of 2003), the Central Government hereby makes the following rules further to amend the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Rules, 2008, namely:-

1. (1) These rules may be called the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules, 2018.

(2) They shall come into force on the 1st day of April, 2018.

2. In the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Rules, 2008, in rule 5, after the proviso below sub-rule (3), the following sub-rule shall be inserted, namely:-

“(4) Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rules (1) to (3), if the specified health warnings provided in paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Schedule are not amended by the Central Government with new specified health warnings at the end of the rotation period for the next rotation period, then the existing specified health warnings for the second twelve months shall continue for a further period till the 31st day of August, 2018.”

[No. P.16011/02/2017-TC]