know more about Smoking | Smoke Free India

Although the dangers of smoking are clear, what is less known in India is that passive smoking - breathing in other people's Second-Hand tobacco smoke also kills. Millions of non-smokers in India are exposed to levels of second-hand smoke, which is sufficient enough to increase the risk of chronic diseases and death.

Those particularly at risk are non-smokers, living with smokers or working in smoky atmospheres for long periods. For these reasons, non-smokers as well as smokers need to be aware of the health costs of second-hand smoke.

Research from other countries indicates that several thousand people a year in India are estimated to die from heart disease and lung cancer brought about by exposure to second-hand smoke. Even at low levels, exposure to second-hand smoke, can cause illness. Asthma sufferers are more prone to attacks in smoky atmospheres. Children are the most vulnerable and often have little choice over their exposure to tobacco smoke.

SECOND-HAND SMOKE — WHAT IS IT?

THE BENEFITS OF GOING SMOKE FREE

Most people know that smoking is bad for health. Smoking, more than any other factor, reduces people's life expectancy. Smoking is the prime cause of cancer, heart disease, emphysema and many other chronic diseases. People who smoke regularly lose an average 16 years from their life expectancy compared to non-smokers and half of all smokers who continue to smoke for most of their lives die of the habit.

In India around 900 thousand people die from diseases caused by smoking every year. This figure will rise to more than one million people every year by 2013. For every thousand 20-year-old smokers it is estimated that while one will be murdered and six will die in motor accidents, 250 will die in middle age from smoking, and 250 will die in older age from smoking.

As well as the human costs of smoking, the economic costs of smoking in India are also staggering The annual health costs for treating tobacco related cancers, coronary artery disease and chronic obstructive lung disease is conservatively estimated at INR 27,761 Crore (US $6.5 Billion). Smoking really exacts a high price on the health and economic wealth of our country.

SMOKING — THE COSTS

"Good for Business — Good for Health"
The main and most obvious benefit of smoke free legislation is the savings in health costs to the community. However, there are many other benefits in going smoke free.

The rapid progress in economic development shows that the future is bright for India. And with that bright future we need to ensure the best possible quality of life for our children. Therefore the most important, long term benefit for India in going smoke free is the fact that we will be in-line with health policies in all developed countries of the world. These countries have decided the future health of the next generation far outweighs the benefits of tobacco. There is no freedom in addiction to a product that causes chronic disease and early death in one in every two of its users.
Let’s create a SMOKE FREE generation and give our kids the chances they deserve.

The Control of Tobacco Products Act, commonly known as COTPA, came into effect in 2004. The Act covers prohibition of advertisement and regulation of trade and commerce, production supply and distribution of tobacco products.
The Act - short title is called; Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Rules - 2008 closes loopholes which allowed smoking in some public places. The rules , which officially become law on October 2nd, do not allow smoking in any public places where non-smokers may be present.
Public places include; workplaces, shopping malls, airports, bus and train stations, hotels, cinema halls, shops and restaurants.
Currently, hotels with 30 or more rooms or restaurants with 30 or more tables can have a smoking area. The latest rules differ in the sense that smoking areas in these places now have to be physically separated with full height walls, automatically closing doors, and separate negative air pressure to not allow smoke to drift outwards. This space will also only be allowed for the purposes of smoking and no other services will be allowed.
Furthermore, no ashtrays, lighters or other objects to facilitate smoking shall be provided in the smoke free places outside of the regulation smoking areas.
Signage specifications as per the revised COTPA regulations can be sourced from the secondhandsmokeskills directory - COTPA signage.

COTPA 2008

New Regulations

Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Rules, 2008

Effective October 2, 2008, the Indian government will expand the prohibition on smoking in public places and workplaces to protect individuals from the hazards of secondhand tobacco smoke.
As part of this new law, the prohibition on smoking in public places includes:

Hotels
Restaurants
coffee houses
pubs
bars
airport
lounges
and other such places visited by the general public Workplaces
Shopping malls
Cinema Halls
Educational Institutions and Libraries
Hospitals
Auditorium
open auditorium
amusement centers
stadium
railway station
bus stop etc

Compliance:
Individuals in charge of public places and workplaces (i.e., owners, proprietors, managers, supervisors) shall be held responsible for complying with the law by ensuring that:

No person smokes in the public places covered by the law Smoking may be permitted in hotels with 30 rooms or more, restaurants with seating capacity of thirty or more persons, and airports, but only in rooms that are physically separated and surrounded by full height walls on all sides with an entrance having an automatically closing door normally kept closed has an air system that is exhausted directly to the outside and has negative air pressure in comparison to the remainder of the building that are not used for any purpose other than smoking, that is no food or beverage is served and no other service is provided All designated smoking areas are prominently placed away from entrances/exits of buildings Signage on smoking restrictions are prominently placed throughout the public places, and follow the guidelines set by the law No ashtrays, matches, and lighters are provided in public places

The name of the person(s) to whom a complaint may be made by anyone who observes others smoking in the public places is displayed in the public places.

Individuals who do violate the law are reported. Lack of appropriate reporting shall result in a fine impended upon individuals in charge of the designated public place

Penalties:
For individuals not abiding the law (or persons in charge of public places not reporting/enforcing the law), a fine will be issued, and possible criminal sanction.

Enforcement:
Authorized persons responsible for imposing and collecting fines against the violation include those in charge of designated areas. For instance, for:
Public places: Tax inspectors, health directors, central/state administrator heads, anti-tobacco nodal officers
Railways: Station leaders
Government offices: Gazettes officers
Hospitals: Hospital heads (i.e., directors, superintendents, administration heads)
Post offices: Post masters
Private offices/workplaces: Office head (i.e., managers, administration heads)
Educational institutions: Institution heads (i.e., principals, headmasters, teachers)
Libraries: Library heads, assistants, and librarians
Airports: Airport heads (i.e., managers, airport/airline officers)

The Government is committed to stronger enforcement of the revised COTPA laws. As such, a broad number of officials have been given the responsibility of imposing and collecting fines for smokers and managers who breach the law.
Officers authorized to impose fines apart from the police include; heads of public and private institutions, human resource managers, hospital administrators, university, college and school headmasters and teachers, airports, train and bus station controllers, and library and postal service administrators.
Fines for individual smokers will be up to 200 INR, however fines for public places managers will be the sum total of all the breaches in their jurisdiction. Therefore, if ten smokers are found to be breaching the law in any public place, the management is liable for a 2000 INR fine (200 INR x 10 smokers).

Enforcement