Increased Taxes and Regulation of Indian Cigarillos (Bidi) Industry: Effects on Revenue and Years of Life Lost.

Introduction: Indian cigarillos (bidi) are low-cost alternatives to cigarettes with only 22% imposed taxes, and turnover of up to INR 4 million per annum exempted from taxation.

Aims And Methods: This paper estimates revenue implications and potential loss of life years (YLLs) averted if the bidi industry is subjected to increased regulations and taxation. Revenue estimates at 10% increased regulation and 100% regulation were calculated, followed by estimates at taxes equivalent to cigarettes and World Health Organization-Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) recommendation.

Prioritizing tobacco control & its cessation under sustainable development goals with a focus on India.

Sustainable development goals (SDGs) were meant to put each and everywhere 'at par'. The tobacco epidemic globally is one major deterrent to their achievement. While it gets addressed under SDG 3 through the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) - the World Health Organization (WHO) global treaty (the target 3.

Compliance to Online Retail of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) in India before and after the 2018 Ban Order of the Government of India.

Since their launch globally in 2012, electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) were positioned as a harm reduction strategy and cessation device but it is yet to be proven to have clinical safety or public health benefits. Instead, recent reports suggest that the tobacco industry targeted youth and sponsored research whose evidence was used to mislead policymaking. On August 28, 2018, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare's advisory banned the sale, purchase, and trade of ENDS.

Communicating risk: Status of health warning labels on various tobacco products in Indian market.

Background: Owing to the role of tobacco packaging as a strong medium of communication, display of health warnings on tobacco packs effectively impart health risks of tobacco consumption to those currently using or contemplating the use of tobacco.

Methods: This community based cross-sectional analytical study was conducted among 2044 tobacco product packs, each collected from a different PoS, to estimate the non-compliance of section 7, 8 & 9 of COTPA among various tobacco products and its association with the PoS characteristics. Data were collected by observation of PoS by field investigators and then purchase of a unique product from each vendor followed by a brief interview of the tobacco vendor.

Prevalence and factors associated with the sale of loose cigarettes at Point of Sale: A cross-sectional analytical study from four Indian states.

Background: The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) has established that sale of loose cigarettes increases the affordability and accessibility of tobacco for minors. Acknowledging this threat to public health, the Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India amended the Legal Metrology Act to prohibit sale of loose cigarettes. Regardless, over 70% of the total cigarette sale in the country is in the form of loose cigarettes majority of which is being sold at unrecognized, unrecorded and unregulated informal sector of economy.

Depiction of tobacco in Indian mass media: A content analysis.

Background: Although exposure to tobacco content on mass media is a well-grounded source for early initiation, less is known on how tobacco is portrayed in mass media.

Objectives: To determine the proportion of tobacco appearances and the percentage of pro or anti-tobacco messages in the selected print, electronic and internet based Indian mass media.

Methods: The content analysis was conducted among selected categories of: top two daily newspapers in terms of readership, topmost Television channel in terms of viewership and top five trending videos on YouTube.

Tobacco retailer density and tobacco retailers near schools in two cities of East India, Ranchi and Siliguri.

Background: Passive and active exposure to tobacco smoke is associated with tuberculosis infection and tuberculosis disease. Addressing tobacco use is a critical strategy to address tuberculosis (TB). Studies conducted globally demonstrate that the physical presence and density of tobacco vendors can increase tobacco use in both youth and adults.

National level E-Resource Centre for Tobacco Control (E-RCTC): One stop solution to information on tobacco control in India.

The existing information on tobacco control, though highly valuable, is lying scattered at different sources. Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh in collaboration and technical support of International Union against TB and Lung Diseases (The Union) undertook an initiative to start a national level E-Resource Centre for Tobacco Control (E-RCTC) with an aim to provide relevant information on tobacco control under one roof thereby countering the misleading facts on tobacco control which exist on various web engines. The national level E-Resource Centre for Tobacco Control was developed in three stages.

Pricing of tobacco products: Pre and post GST implementation.

There is ample evidence stating that any taxation policy that effectively increases the real price of tobacco products reduces its use. In the past, several countries have documented instances; wherein the intended effects of tobacco taxation were undermined by aggressive pricing strategies of the industry. However, there is a dearth of such evidence in Indian context.

Online sales compliance with the electronic cigarettes ban in India: a content analysis.

Objectives: To investigate the availability of and to characterise the internet electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) vendors (IEVs) that continued to sell vaping devices in an Indian city despite the promulgation of an Indian Ordinance on 18th September 2019 that prohibits e-cigarettes nation-wide.

Methods: A structured internet search engine queries to identify IEVs. Subsequently, a content analysis to all identified IEVs was performed to check if they delivered vaping products to a New Delhi address (non-compliant with Indian Ordinance).

Earned print media in advancing tobacco control in Himachal Pradesh, India: a descriptive study.

Background: The Union-Bloomberg Initiative tobacco control projects were implemented in Himachal Pradesh (a hilly state in North India) from 2007 to 2014. The project focused on the establishment of an administrative framework; increasing the capacity of stakeholders; enforcement of legislation; coalition and networking with multiple stakeholders; awareness generation with focus on earned media and monitoring and evaluation with policy-focussed research. This study aimed to systematically analyse all earned print news items related to the projects.