Rajasthan: Register tobacco sellers, demand health experts

JAIPUR: Health experts have demanded that the state government should make registration of all the vendors and shops mandatory for selling tobacco products.
Expressed their concern on the findings of Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS), released recently, highlighting that 97% of current cigarette smokers (children 13-15 years) and 98% of current bidi smokers bought cigarettes and bidis from a store, paan shop and street vendor or vending machine, the health experts demanded effective implementation of Cigarette and other tobacco product act (COTPA) 2003 and Juvenile Justice Act.
The distressing reality is that 98% of cigarette smokers and99.5% of bidi smokers were not refused because of their age, shows, the survey.
“The survey is showing children are purchasing tobacco products from shops and they are not being refused. Being an expert in ENT and cancer surgeon, I see patients suffering from cancer due to use of tobacco. Some children are initiating chewing tobacco at the age of 7 only. We demand from the state government to make the registration of shops mandatory for selling tobacco products. If they violate law and sell tobacco products to children,their registration will be cancelled and they will get the punishment according to the law,” said Dr Pawan Singhal, professor (ENT), SMS medical college.