Tobacco Control Law Enforcement and Compliance in Odisha, India - Implications for Tobacco Control Policy and Practice

Abstract

Introduction: Tobacco use is a leading cause of deaths and disabilities in India, killing about 1.2 lakh people in 2010. About 29% of adults use tobacco on a daily basis and an additional 5% use it occasionally. In Odisha, non-smoking forms are more prevalent than smoking forms. The habit has very high opportunity cost as it reduces the capacity to seek better nutrition, medical care and education. In line with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) is a powerful Indian national law on tobacco control. The Government of Odisha has shown its commitment towards enforcement and compliance of COTPA provisions. In order to gauge the perceptions and practices related to tobacco control efforts and level of enforcement of COTPA in the State, this cross-sectional study was carried out in seven selected districts. Materials and methods:A semi-structured interview schedule was developed, translated into Odiya and COTPA 2003, perception about smoking, chewing tobacco and practices with respect to compliance of selected provisions of the Act. 1414 samples were interviewed. Results: The highest percentage of respondents was from 52.1% of the respondents were aware of Indian tobacco control laws, while 80.8% had knowledge about the provision of the law prohibiting smoking in public places. However, 36.6% of the respondents reported that they had 'very often' seen tobacco products being sold 'to a minor', while 31.2% had seen tobacco products being sold 'by a minor'. In addition, 24.8% had 'very often' seen tobacco products being sold within a radius of 100 yards of educational institutions.

Analysis of Motivating Factors for Smokeless Tobacco Use in Two Indian States

“…Tobacco control measures continue to face many implementation and knowledge dissemination challenges, despite policy achievements since the passage of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) (Kaur and Jain, 2012;Panda et al, 2012). While smoking may represent a more "westernized" phenomena, the history and cultural rooting of smokeless tobacco presents a different set of challenges in India's tobacco control measures (Stigler et al, 2010).…”

Compliance with Statutory Tobacco Guidelines in and around Schools in Mangaluru, India: An Observational Study

“…Every year more than 8 lakh people die due to tobacco-related diseases. 2 It has also been reported that more than 39% of tobacco users initiated the tobacco habit before the age of 17 years when they were far too young to either resist peer pressure or understand the risks of tobacco use. 3 The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) (prohibition of advertisement and regulation of trade and commerce, production, supply and distribution) was enacted by the Government of India in 2003.…”

“…The death toll from tobacco is expected to increase to eight million a year by 2030. 1 The Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) 2 indicates that 14.6% children in the age group of 13 to 15 years and 34.6% of Indians aged 15 years and above use tobacco in some form or the other. Every year more than 8 lakh people die due to tobacco-related diseases.…”

Implementation of Smoke-free Legislation in Malaysia: Are Adolescents Protected from Respiratory Health Effects?

“…Recent studies had been conducted in several countries which focused on the implication of the SFL compliance among the public (Panda et al, 2012;Abidin et al, 2013;Oh et al, 2013). The environmental assessments on the measurement of particulate matter (PM2.5) and air nicotine in public places demonstrated that the concentration of contaminants continues to be high including in spaces where smoking is prohibited by law (King et al, 2011;Abidin et al, 2013;Oh et al, 2013).This evidence showed that non-smoking population continually to be exposed to SHS even in the wake of the SFL implementation.…”

“…As a signatory to the treaty, Malaysia and other various countries had developed and implemented smoke-free legislation or SFL that prohibit smoking in public places in order to provide a smoke-free environment to citizens (Kashiwabara et al, 2011;Panda et al, 2012;Abidin et al, 2013;Oh et al, 2013). Malaysia has implemented a partial-SFL which prohibits smoking in 21 types of public spaces (Malaysia Act, 2008;Abidin et al, 2013).…”