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In Read Editorial With D2G
May 11, 2016

ALL UP IN SMOKE ?

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 D2G wears no responsibility of the views published here by the respective Author. This Editorial is used here for Study Purpose. Students are advised to learn the word-meaning, The Art of Writing Skills and understand the crux of this Editorial.

MEANINGS are given in BOLD and ITALIC

Expectedly, tobacco companies are resisting a new regulation that the mandatory pictorial warnings on cigarette packages be made larger. The legal challenge to the new rule is likely to be finally settled in the weeks ahead, but till then, as per the Supreme Court’s directives, the larger warnings must be printed. For now, cartons (A carton is a large, strong cardboard box in which goods are stored and transported – दफ़्ती ) will have up to 85 per cent of the packet devoted to graphic messaging. Having lost the argument on the health effects of cigarette consumption, as well as passive (If you describe someone as passive, you mean that they do not take action but instead let things happen to them – निष्क्रिय ) smoking, cigarette-makers are pleading that tobacco-growers will be adversely affected. Experience in other countries suggests that they are fighting a losing battle. Australia has become something of a shining example for the rest of the world to follow in clamping down (A clampdown is a sudden restriction on a particular activity by a government or other authority -शिकंजा कसना ) on suggestive branding.

In 2012, it pioneered a move to have cigarettes sold in logo-free plain cartons to deter (To deter someone from doing something means to make them not want to do it or continue doing it – रोक रखना) smokers. This month, the European Court of Justice backed a measure to cover two-thirds of a cigarette packet with health cautions in the 28 member-states of the European Union. Earlier, the ECJ had prohibited the use of descriptive terms such as “light” and “mild” to differentiate among cigarettes. This was in addition to the mandatory disclosure on cigarette packs of the ingredients. The smoking habit is often picked up by suggestive nudges — through advertising, peer pressure, and cultural signals that associate smoking with hipness, attitude, stress-busting, and so on. Indeed, Canberra’s post-implementation report shows that there has been a statistically significant drop in the prevalence (A condition, practice, or belief that is prevalent is common – प्रसार ) of smoking since packages have gone logo-less.

In tandem with the latest restrictions on how cigarettes are packaged, the EU and the U.S. have clamped down on the sale of electronic cigarettes. In the U.S., e-cigarettes cannot be sold to people under 18 years of age. This is the result of a growing consensus that far from being a harm-free alternative as claimed by industry lobbies, e-cigarettes could sooner or later lure (To lure someone means to trick them into a particular place or to trick them into doing something that they should not do – प्रलोभन ) consumers to take up the real thing. Curiously, it was when the new nicotine-based substitute began to make inroads that some tobacco giants were more willing to acknowledge the toxic chemicals and carcinogens released while smoking. However, they continue to pin their hopes on a challenge at the WTO, which they are fighting together with countries that have strong interests in the tobacco crop.

That ruling may still be some time away. But the public health campaign must continue apace (If something develops or continues apace, it is developing or continuing quickly – झटपट ) with the enforcement of extensive curbs on smoking in public spaces. This is an effective way to help break the smoking habit, besides of course protecting bystanders from second-hand smoke. Countries such as India have enforced rules that warnings be affixed in films when someone lights up on screen. There is still some way to go in the business of cracking down on surrogate (You use surrogate to describe a person or thing that is given a particular role because the person or thing that should have the role is not available – कृत्रिम वस्तु ) advertising. Having temporarily won its battle in the Supreme Court on packaging, it is time New Delhi did more to discourage smoking.

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