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Plain packaging of tobacco products: the logical next step for tobacco control policy in India
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  • Published on: 7 November 2018
    Tobacco Policy Implementation Pros and Cons
    • Charles Jenya Soko, Nurse/Midwife (Current Global Health Masters Student) Masters Program in Global Health and Development, College of Public Health, Taipei Medical University
    • Other Contributors:
      • Dumisani Enricho Nkhoma, Medical Doctor, (current masters student)
      • Usman Iqbal, Assistant Professor

    Standardized packaging may be the way to go in terms reducing smoking prevalence (McNeill et al, 2017). Although plain packaging has reduced smoking and brand appeal in Australia, it did not restrict launching of new products and diminish tobaccos’ extensive, highly differentiated brand variant ranges, (Greenland S.J., 2016). As countries prepare to use this policy they should take into account the influence of the tobacco industry on both the economy and social life of people.

    India is amongst few countries implementing healthy warning and in sharp contrast, it is also, as stated in the article, the largest producer and the second largest consumer of tobacco in the world. This presents a cross roads and this is illustrated by the delay seen between policy formation and implementation of the current tobacco control policy in India which stipulates health warning branding using(85%) space on all tobacco products. This has given enough time for the tobacco industry to fight back the policies and to make most sales out of the hesitancy. These strategies have been used in the legal frontiers citing international trade organization laws (Eckhardt et al 2016)

    This is a challenge to World Health Organization (WHO) and its policies as they are challenged by laws governing trade and competition. In the interest of successful implementation of such policies there is need for more collaboration between WHO and World Trade Organization (WTO), as this can be the key to...

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    Conflict of Interest:
    None declared.