Market & legal data in the tobacco alternatives sector in India

6th November 2024: India: The Madras High Court has urged the Union government to ban oral tobacco products – specifically mentioning the snus-like Cool Lip brand – under the Food Safety Act, highlighting the “sudden spurt of children using tobacco”. Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy claims the court is handling “10 cases per day relating to grant of bail in these type of matters”. The Madras High Court is the highest court of the state of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state with more than 70m inhabitants.
28th October 2024: India: A survey from Doctors Against Addiction (DAAD), conducted in partnership with Saizen Global Insights & Consulting, indicates an enhanced tolerance towards harm-reduction products. Survey results highlight the need for updated smoking cessation policies that integrate safer alternatives, reflecting advancements in cessation science and technology. In addition, the survey emphasises the importance of collaboration among healthcare providers, policy-makers, and the private sector for effective patient support.
28th October 2024: India: The states of West Bengal and Chandigarh have extended their ban on the manufacture, storage, sale and distribution of gutka and pan masala containing tobacco and nicotine for another year, effective from 7th November 2024. This extension aligns them with other Indian states – such as Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Manipur – that have banned tobacco-containing food products due to public health concerns. The ban is based on the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 and on the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Regulations 2011, which prohibit the presence of harmful substances in food products.
23rd October 2024: India: The Manipur government has issued a ban on tobacco-containing food products, press reports. The ban is based on the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 that prohibits the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of food products containing tobacco or nicotine, and on the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011. Both regulations aim to protect public health by prohibiting harmful substances in food products. This ban is an expression of a restrictive approach towards oral tobacco products in India, where there is widespread use of these products.
23rd October 2024: India: The Consortium for Tobacco-Free Karnataka (CFTFK) has called for strict enforcement of the law requiring vendor licences for the sale of tobacco products, press reports. This demand follows reports of vendors violating the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) by selling tobacco near educational institutions. Shashi Kumar, general secretary of the Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, said “enforcing strict implementation of vendor licences will promote compliance with Section 6(b) of COTPA, which prohibits the sale of tobacco within 100 yards of educational institutions” in order to protect children.
22nd October 2024: India: During a review meeting of the “Tobacco Free Youth Campaign 2.0”, officers of the Jharkhand state government and Socio Economic and Educational Development Society (Seeds) discussed an initiative to make all educational facilities in the state tobacco-free under Tobacco Free Educational Institution (ToFEI) guidelines. The executive director of Seeds, Deepak Mishra, affirmed that these guidelines serve as a preventive measure, as minors are often targeted by the tobacco industry.
17th October 2024: India: In the state of Goa and the Papum Pare district in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, governments have created tobacco-free zones, aiming to eliminate tobacco use in schools and villages through workshops and awareness programmes. The initiatives highlight the harmful effects of tobacco and emphasise the importance of strict anti-tobacco regulations. The campaigns also incorporate community engagement and social media to spread their message and protect against tobacco industry influence, with the ultimate goal of fostering tobacco-free environments in educational and rural areas.
16th October 2024: India: Deputy commissioner Vishesh Mahajan chaired a District Level Coordination Committee meeting in Reasi district – in India’s northern state of Jammu and Kashmir – which focused on the implementation of the National Tobacco Control Program (NTCP). Mahajan emphasised the importance of enforcing tobacco-free zones around educational institutions, regulating vendor licences, and conducting regular enforcement drives to limit youth access to tobacco.
16th October 2024: India: In Kashmir, the Tobacco Free Youth Campaign 2.0 is being actively implemented, creating tobacco-free schools and villages while enhancing enforcement of tobacco control laws, with the campaign running from September to November 2024. By focusing on creating tobacco-free zones around educational institutions, regulating vendor licences, and reducing youth access to tobacco, these policies signal a proactive approach to public health and youth protection.
16th October 2024: India: In Bengaluru – the capital and largest city of the southern Indian state of Karnataka, with a population of over 8m – Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah urged the public to pledge against tobacco use, particularly targeting youth, during a press conference.
15th October 2024: India: Several public health initiatives have been launched across the country that emphasise the connection between tobacco and cancer. Mizoram’s health minister, Pi Lalrinpuii, has launched the Tobacco-Free Youth Campaign 2.0 in the state. The campaign aims to create tobacco-free educational institutions and villages, raise public awareness, and implement the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) and the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA), demonstrating a restrictive regulatory approach towards novel tobacco products. In addition, the Goa Cancer Society (GCS), in collaboration with the state’s Manipal Hospital, offers subsidised screenings and counselling to cancer patients, highlighting tobacco as a key cancer risk factor.
15th October 2024: India: On 11th October, a national consultation addressed the need for standardising tobacco testing laboratories, specifically focusing on the measurement of tar, nicotine and carbon monoxide in tobacco products. In parallel, ET Edge, a business intelligence initiative from the Times Group, emphasised that India’s efforts to curb tobacco use are falling short, jeopardising the country’s roadmap for development. ET Edge says tobacco consumption is prevalent among economically weaker populations, and public policies should have a comprehensive approach to harm reduction, integrating regulation, education and cultural awareness. Efforts are already being made in some states of the country, such as Ladakh, where civil society organisations raise awareness through educational activities.

LATEST ALERTS

Alternative tobacco and nicotine products in India

What will the year ahead bring? Expected tobacco and nicotine regulation in 2024

Man on a mission to counter ‘nicotine illiteracy’ and aid smokers everywhere

India’s $17bn smokeless tobacco industry may be hit with ban affecting oral tobacco

Global policy on novel nicotine products: analysis from our new Policy Radar

Regulatory report: India (state level) oral tobacco and nicotine pouches, July 2021

Regulatory report: India – HnB, oral tobacco and nicotine pouches, May 2021

TobaccoIntelligence compliance calendar

Tamarind Intelligence Policy Radar, October

Regulatory database: global alerts round-up, October

Sign up to our newsletter

LATEST ALERTS

Alternative tobacco and nicotine products in India

Sign up to our newsletter

Start your FREE trial