Former Union Health Minister and Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Saturday called on Narendra Modi to enact a law banning smoking and sale of cigarettes to those born on or after January 1, 2009, to create a smoke-free generation.
Both houses of the UK Parliament passed legislation in April to permanently ban individuals aged 17 and under from buying cigarettes. The Tobacco and Vapes Act seeks to prevent anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, now aged 17, from taking up smoking.
What did Anbumani say in the letter to PM Modi?
“Once it (cigarette ban) is in place, it will ensure that future generations are legally prevented from accessing tobacco products,” Anbumani said in a letter to PM Modi.
He stated, “I am writing to you with a deep sense of urgency and responsibility to draw your attention to a critical public health problem that continues to threaten the lives of millions of Indians, particularly among the younger generation who are affected by cigarette smoking.”
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Anbumani Ramadoss introduced a nationwide smoking ban in public places during his tenure as Minister of Health and Family Welfare in the United Progressive Alliance government led by Manmohan Singh from 2004 to 2009. His party, Pattali Makkal Katchi, has consistently taken a strong stance against cigarettes and other tobacco products.
He further highlighted that India faces a significantly high burden of tobacco-related diseases and deaths, noting that global health data indicate that around 267 million people in the country, roughly one in five citizens, consume tobacco.
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“Each year, tobacco use directly causes more than 1.35 million deaths, while second-hand smoke exposure contributes to a total of approximately 2.3 million deaths annually,” he said, adding that “these numbers are alarming and reflect a public health crisis of enormous magnitude.”
He said scientific evidence clearly shows that tobacco use is a major cause of cancer and several non-communicable diseases, including heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD, and various forms of malignancy.
He urged the Union government to consider introducing a transformative law along the lines of the UK that would permanently ban the sale and use of tobacco products to individuals born in or after a certain year, such as 2009, adding that such a generational ban would be a significant step towards phasing out tobacco use in India.
UK ban on selling cigarettes to people born after 2009
Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the move as a “historic moment for the nation’s health” that would create “the first smoke-free generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm”. Once it receives royal assent and becomes law, the legislation will empower the government to extend indoor smoking restrictions to certain outdoor spaces, including children’s playgrounds and areas outside schools and hospitals.
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It will also give authorities new powers to regulate vape flavors and packaging, as well as ban vaping in places where smoking is already banned.
The bill is part of a wider effort to boost preventative health care and reduce the long-term burden on Britain’s publicly funded National Health Service.
Hazel Cheeseman, director of public health charity Action on Smoking and Health, told LBC radio the bill represented a “defining turning point for public health”.
