No Smoking Day: Appeal made to amend tobacco regulatory law

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: On No Smoking Day, civil societies, doctors and cancer victims urged the Government of India to remove designated smoking rooms at hotels/restaurants and airports to protect people from second-hand smoke.

While appreciating the Government for initiating the process to amend the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act (COTPA), 2003, they appealed for immediate removal of current provision that permits smoking areas to make India 100 percent smoke-free and check the spread of COVID-19 infection in India.

According to a health expert, "There is growing evidence that smoking is a risk for COVID-19 infection. Smoking worsens lung function and reduces immunity. Smokers who develop COVID-19 infection have more complications and greater risk of fatality. All designated smoking areas in hotels and restaurants and even airports should be removed to ensure a 100% smoke-free environment. Most of these designated smoking areas are rarely compliant as per COTPA requirements and are actually putting our public at great health risk from exposure to secondhand smoke."

In India, smoking is banned in all public places as per the COTPA 2003. Section 4 of this Act prohibits smoking in any place to which the public has access. However, COTPA 2003 presently allows smoking in certain public places like restaurants, hotels and airports in designated smoking areas, the expert pointed out.

Second-hand smoking is as harmful as smoking. Exposure to second-hand smoke causes many diseases including, lung cancer and heart disease in adults and the impairment of the lung function and respiratory infections in children. People with compromised respiratory and cardiovascular systems are at higher risk for severe COVID-19 severity and death. Designated smoking areas facilitate the spread of COVID -19 infections as smokers cannot socially distance or wear masks and are trapped in close proximity in a smoke-filled environment, the expert said.

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