ABSTRACT
Background & objectives: Beginning in 2012, all States in India eventually banned the sale of gutka. This study was conducted to investigate gutka vendors' knowledge on gutka ban, products covered under ban, penalties for non-compliance and action for enforcement by government agencies. Methods: Twenty vendors were interviewed, 10 each in Mumbai (Maharashtra) and Indore (Madhya Pradesh) during May - June, 2013, one year after ban was imposed. Interviewers used a standardized questionnaire to assess vendors' knowledge of gutka ban, their attitude towards it and compliance to it in practice. Results: All 20 vendors were aware that gutka sale was banned. However, despite ban, eight of the 10 vendors in Mumbai perceived sale of pan masala as legal. In Indore, all 10 vendors perceived sale of Indori Tambakoo, a local gutka variant, as legal. No vendor was sure about the quantum of fine applicable on being caught selling the banned product. Two vendors in Mumbai and nine in Indore admitted selling gutka. Five vendors in Mumbai and four in Indore supported an existing ban on gutka. Interpretation & conclusions: All vendors were aware of the ban on gutka and reason for it. Many vendors supported the ban. However, awareness of other products covered under ban and on fines in case of non-compliance was low. Law enforcement system needs to be intensified to implement ban. Notification of ban needs to be further strengthened and made unambiguous to explicitly include all smokeless tobacco products.
ABSTRACT
The tobacco epidemic is an increasing threat to public health with the tobacco burden particularly high in WHO's South-East Asia Region (SEAR). The Region has many obstacles to tobacco control, but despite these challenges, significant progress has been made in many countries. Although much work still needs to be done, SEAR countries have nevertheless implemented strong and often innovative tobacco control measures that can be classified as "best practices," with some setting global precedents. The best practice measures implemented in SEAR include bans on gutka, reducing tobacco imagery in movies, and warning about the dangers of tobacco. In a time of scarce resources, countries in SEAR and elsewhere must ensure that the most effective and cost-efficient measures are implemented. It is hoped that countries can learn from these examples and as appropriate, adapt these measures to their own specific cultural, social and political realities.