Generational Ban: Transforming India's Tobacco Landscape

Anbumani Ramadoss urges PM Modi to legislate banning smoking and cigarette sales for individuals born after January 1, 2009. Highlighting tobacco's health burden, he proposes a generational ban akin to the UK's, aiming to create a smoke-free generation and mitigate the public health crisis caused by tobacco use.

Anbumani Ramadoss, a leader of the PMK, has called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to implement legislative measures to ban smoking and the sale of cigarettes to individuals born on or after January 1, 2009. This initiative aims to create a smoke-free generation and safeguard public health.

Ramadoss, highlighting the severe impact of tobacco use, particularly among youths, emphasized that India suffers from a high burden of tobacco-related diseases. According to global health estimates, one in five Indians uses tobacco, contributing to over 1.35 million deaths annually from direct consumption and 2.3 million deaths including second-hand smoke exposure.

Citing these alarming statistics, he urged the government to adopt transformative laws similar to those in the UK that permanently prohibit tobacco product sales for certain birth generations. Such a move, he argues, would be a decisive step towards eradicating tobacco use in India over time. Ramadoss previously contributed to public health as Union minister for health by introducing a public smoking ban during the UPA government tenure.