Vidhubala E, Pisinger C, Basumallik B, Prabhakar D S
Resource Center for Tobacco Control, Cancer Institute (W.I.A), Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Research Center for Prevention and Health, Glostrup University Hospital and University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Indian J Cancer. 2016 Apr-Jun;53(2):325-330. doi: 10.4103/0019-509X.197722.
India is the world's third largest consumer of tobacco. There are twice as many users of smokeless tobacco products (STPs) as cigarette smokers. The Government of Tamil Nadu has banned the sale of gutkha and pan masala in 2013. Our aim was to identify the varieties of illegal STP available in Chennai, India.
In systematically chosen zones and regions of Chennai city, we randomly identified three kinds of kiosks (n = 18) and asked for "gutkha" and "pan masala," one of each product available. Details of each product were reviewed based on the information printed on the sachets.
Totally 65 STPs were collected; 26 distinct products and 23 brands. All products were claimed to be "tobacco" by the shop keepers. Sixty-five percent of the products informed to contain tobacco and 15.4% to contain pan masala. Five sachets did not inform about the content; 30.8% did not have a pictorial warning; a text warning was printed on 80.8%, but only two products had the messages in Tamil; 70% had promotional messages printed, and 57% had their registration numbers printed.
The ban on STP is being systematically violated in Chennai. STP are cheap and easily available and due to promotional laudatory messages and lacking information about the content and warning of health damage, the consumers are left with the perception that they buy more or less harmless product. The Indian Government must introduce policies to control production, import, and sale of illicit STP but we also call for a coordinated international solution.
印度是世界第三大烟草消费国。无烟烟草制品（STP）的使用者数量是吸烟者的两倍。泰米尔纳德邦政府于2013年禁止销售古特卡和印度综合香料。我们的目的是确定印度钦奈市可获得的非法STP品种。
在钦奈市系统选定的区域，我们随机确定了三种售货亭（n = 18），并索要“古特卡”和“印度综合香料”，每种产品各一份。根据小包装上印刷的信息审查每种产品的详细情况。
共收集到65种STP；26种不同产品和23个品牌。店主均称所有产品为“烟草”。65%的产品标明含有烟草，15.4%含有印度综合香料。5个小包装未标明成分；30.8%没有图片警示；80.8%有文字警示，但只有两种产品有泰米尔语警示信息；70%印有促销信息，57%印有注册号。
钦奈市存在系统性违反STP禁令的情况。STP价格便宜且容易获得，由于有促销赞美信息，且缺乏关于成分和健康损害警示的信息，消费者认为他们购买的产品或多或少无害。印度政府必须出台政策控制非法STP的生产、进口和销售，但我们也呼吁采取协调一致的国际解决方案。
