Bengaluru: 'Vendor License' demanded to restrict sale of tobacco products to minors

Bengaluru: To restrict access of tobacco products to minors, public health experts, educationists, parents and children are demanding that the State government issue 'vendor license' order for tobacco sale in Karnataka.

The experts are urging the Urban Development Department (UDD), government of Karnataka to issue a notification and implement the 'vendor licensing' at the earliest.

Till date, more than 3,000 letters have been written by students, teachers and parents to Urban Development Minister Byrathi Basavaraj urging quick implementation of vendor licensing.

The Union Health Ministry in its advisory to States on September 21, 2017, called for regulating the sale of tobacco products through proper authorization and registration of tobacco vendors.

In the absence of strict regulation, tobacco products like cigarettes, bidis and chewing tobacco items are being sold at every nook and corner of the State by street side shops, retail stores, milk parlours, tea shops, bakeries etc.

Tobacco industries illegally advertise products through neon signs and posters. The points of sale (POS) of tobacco products use a strategy pushed by the tobacco companies which is placing tobacco products next to the common eatables such as biscuits, candies, chips etc. that children are accustomed to purchasing regularly from these POS.

More than 14.6 per cent of youth (13-15 years of age) use some form of tobacco in India. Accordingly, every day more than 5,500 children are initiated into tobacco use.

The experts point out that the way sale of liquor is regulated through a license from the State Excise Department, the 'vendor licensing' will regulate the sale of tobacco products.

"Children are the main target of the tobacco industry. The easy access to tobacco products is luring the youngsters to experiment with tobacco and eventually get addicted to it. This is very dangerous and there is an immediate need to keep the younger generations away from tobacco products.

Vendor licensing is one of the bold steps of the state government which will ensure that the tobacco sale is monitored, regulated and keeps youngsters out" said Renowned Oncologist Dr Ramesh Bilimagga, who is the Advisor of Consortium for Tobacco Free Karnataka (CFTFK).

"We are well aware of the harmful effects of tobacco and yet the tobacco industry has convinced us to consume it as an exigency. This is a result of a sheer marketing strategy with the youth as a target audience.

Introducing vendor licensing will be a major shield against this exploitation and is necessary for the constructive future of this country", said Aditya Hari, a Class 12 student at Delhi Public School, Bangalore North.

Shashi Kumar, General Secretary, Associated Management of Private School in Karnataka (KAMS) said "We are happy to know that the State government is coming up with vendor licensing. If vendor licensing comes into force, action can be initiated against vendors who are found selling 'loose' cigarettes and bidis.

In the present set-up, vendors who are selling tobacco products (especially around education institutions) by breaking the rules are getting away with a petty fine. There are provisions in the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, where the vendor's license can also be cancelled if he is found guilty".

"We appreciate the State government for initiating vendor licensing process. We urge the government to make it a reality soon. We request the parents, teachers and other concerned about child rights to extend their support by writing letters to UDD as tobacco industry has been projecting that the livelihood of farmers and vendors would be affected with the introduction of vendor licensing, which is not true," said S J Chander, Convenor, CFTFK.

Already states like Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and West Bengal have implemented vendor licensing.