Bhubaneswar,Jan 31: After declaring gutkha banned in the state in 2013, the state government has now taken another major step. A complete prohibition has been imposed on all tobacco and nicotine-containing products. Their production, processing, packaging, storage, transportation, distribution, and sale have been declared banned across the state. The State Health Department issued a notification in this regard today.
Earlier Gutkha, Now All Tobacco
The Health Department stated that the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the World Health Organization have identified the consumption of zarda, khaini, gutkha, and other tobacco products as major causes of cancer. Additionally, smokeless tobacco products such as pan masala, pan, betel nut mixtures, and other similar items are also harmful to health.
According to the second round of the Global Adult Tobacco Survey, 42% of Odisha’s population was found to be consuming smokeless tobacco, which is nearly double the national average. Furthermore, under the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011, restrictions have been imposed on the use of tobacco and nicotine-containing products. Taking all these factors into consideration, the state government had earlier banned the sale of tobacco and nicotine products in 2013.
However, it was later observed that gutkha companies were selling tobacco in one packet and chewing substances in another packet separately. As a result, people continued to mix the two