| Summary: | Background and challenges to implementation
The Indian tobacco control law (COTPA) prohibits tobacco
advertising, promotion and sponsorship. However, emerging products like
e-cigarettes and e-hookahs (ENDS) remain unregulated and traditional hookahs
are regulated inadequately. Rampant promotional propaganda for these products has
created a general mis-perception that they are safe/less harmful than regular
tobacco products, resulting in increasing popularity among adolescents and youth.
Intervention or response
A youth-led monitoring exercise was conducted to build their capacity
for identifying mis-leading and false ENDS and hookah advertisements and promotional
campaigns, at multiple Points of Sale (PoS), at New Delhi, India.
Sensitisation sessions were conducted for 104 school and college
students, (13-23 years) from 6 schools and 5 colleges, on the hazards of ENDS and
hookah usage; deceptive strategies of the tobacco industry to take advantage of
policy loopholes. These empowered youth monitored 79 PoS (64 physical and 15
e-commerce sites), using standardised monitoring protocols/tools.
Results and lessons learnt
Approximately 31% of physical sites were within 100 yards of an
educational institution (prohibited under COTPA). Warning boards against sale
to minors were missing in more than half of the PoS. ENDS were commonly being
promoted as: safe, herbal, as cessation devices and also as 'trendy' tobacco
products. At 47% of PoS, hookah flavours were arranged as power walls. A range
of e-commerce sites were selling ENDS and hookahs, without asking for any age
proof or only self-declaration of age, which can be mis-reported. These
websites offered attractive discounts and 'free home delivery' to boost sale. [Youth led monitoring_Key Findings]
Conclusions and key recommendations
Youth-targeted promotion and sale of ENDS and hookah is rampant. E-commerce
sites are particularly lucrative PoS. The youth had many false notions about
ENDS and hookah. There is an urgent need to regulate these products through
national and global policy measures, in order to prevent the tobacco industry
from exploiting this grey area in tobacco control policy.
|
|---|
