Ban on the sale of single sticks of Cigarettes

Why in News?

• The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare has recently recommended a ban on the sale of single sticks of cigarettes, in its report about Cancer Management, Prevention and Diagnosis.

Highlights

• Oral cancer accounts for the highest proportion of cancer cases in the country.
• Tobacco consumption accounts for nearly 50% of all cancers, collectively referred to as tobacco-related cancers
• Single sticks are more economical to acquire than a full pack of cigarettes.
• A ban on single-stick sales will compel a potential consumer to buy the entire pack which may not be particularly economical, thus curbing potential experimentation and the scope for regular intake.
• Moreover, a potential ban will also mean that the consumer would have to carry around the packet.
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) has observed that all forms of tobacco are harmful, and there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco.
• It also states that smoking cigarettes is the most common way of tobacco use worldwide.
• The medical journal, Lancet noted in June 2020, that by 2030, 7 million of annual deaths from smoking are expected to be from low and middle-income countries.
• Nicotine in tobacco products is highly addictive, and without cessation support only 4% of users who attempt to quit tobacco consumption will succeed, according to the WHO.