Anti-tobacco advocates hail SC order on pictorial warning

Guwahati: Anti-tobacco advocates of Assam welcomed the Supreme Court's stay order on retaining the 85 percent pictorial warning on packets of tobacco products.

The Supreme Court yesterday stayed the Karnataka High Court order quashing the 2014 government regulation that packets of tobacco products must carry pictorial warning covering 85 percent of the packaging space.

"Pictorial health warnings on tobacco products are the most cost-effective tool for educating on the health risks of tobacco use," Executive Secretary of Voluntary Health Association of Assam Ruchira Neog said here.

Implementing 85 percent pictorial warning was a landmark step taken by the Government of India and "We welcome the Supreme Court's decision to retain 85 percent pictorial health warnings on tobacco products," she said.

In a country like India, where people use several languages and dialects, pictorial warning transcends both the language and the illiteracy barrier, Neog added.