Cigarette, other tobacco product packs to have a new warning from Dec

The Indian government on Friday notified new sets of specified health warnings for all tobacco product packs by making an amendment in the Cigarettes & other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Rules, 2008. The amended rules will be applicable with effect from December 1, 2022

Under the rules, the government stated that the new specified health warnings shall be:

Image-1, shall be valid for a period of twelve months following its commencement from 1 December, 2022.

Image-2, shall be valid from 1 December 2023.

The government also added that the said notification along with the soft or printable version of the specified health warnings in 19 languages are available on the websites www.mohfw.gov.in and ntcp.nhp.gov.in

Moreover, the government also stated that all tobacco products manufactured or imported or packaged on or after 1st December, 2022 shall display Image -1 with the textual Health Warning as ‘TOBACCO CAUSES PAINFUL DEATH’ and those manufactured or imported or packaged on or after 1st December, 2023 shall display Image-2 with the textual Health Warning ‘TOBACCO USERS DIE YOUNGER’.

Any person engaged directly or indirectly in the manufacture, production, supply, import or distribution of cigarettes or any tobacco products shall ensure that all tobacco product packages shall have the specified health warnings exactly as prescribed, the government stated.

"Violation of the above-mentioned provision is a punishable offence with imprisonment or fine as prescribed in Section 20 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003," it further said.