A survey of points of sale around schools in three cities of the State found that 88% of tobacco vendors sold eatables such as candy and chips to attract children/youth to their shops. Only four of the 34 points of sale had mandatory warning display boards, and there was open display of tobacco products, it found.
The findings were part of a study — “Big tobacco: tiny targets” — conducted in 20 cities across six States in the country.
Conducted by Consumer Voice, New Delhi, a total of 243 schools and 487 points of sale were surveyed. In Tamil Nadu, it was conducted in association with the Consumers Association of India (CAI).
It covered 34 schools in Chennai, Pudukottai and Coimbatore.
Main objectives
Presenting the findings on Tuesday, Amarjeet Singh, advisor, legal and projects, Consumer Voice, said the main objective was to look at the tactics adopted by tobacco companies targeting children, and whether the ban on selling tobacco near educational institutions as per the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisements and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act (COTPA) was enforced.
“We noticed several violations during the survey. Tobacco products were sold outside and near schools. The reason why we are campaigning for vendor licensing is that presently anyone, from street and mobile vendors to small grocery stores, can sell tobacco products. We need to regulate them,” he said.
At the national-level, it was found that 225 points of sale out of the 487 points surveyed around schools sold tobacco products, and street vendors were the most common sellers. Vendors also advertised tobacco products around schools and sold cigarettes and beedis via single sticks making them cheap and accessible to children and youth. Such single-stick sales was noted in 90.9% of the 225 tobacco points of sale.
Tobacco products were displayed in appealing ways, he said. The study found that 91% of displays were at one meter of child’s eye level, 54% of points of sale had no visible health warning and 90% displays were beside candy, sweets and toys sold to children.
In Tamil Nadu, the study found 34 violations. Mandatory warning display boards were found only at four out of 34 points of sale.
Sale of loose cigarettes was rampant at 88%, while 88% of tobacco vendors also sold eatables such as candy and chips. Tobacco products were displayed openly, amounting to advertisements.
Recommendations made
“We have also come up with recommendations to the policy makers. We need to promote vendor licensing in Tamil Nadu,” Nirmala Desikan, chairman of CAI, Chennai, said.
Making the tobacco industry accountable for their aggressive effort around schools, improving the enforcement of COTPA, implementing advisory on licensing tobacco vendors by municipalites and enforcing the ban on sale of single sticks of tobacco through vendor licensing, were among the recommendations by the study.
M.P. Nirmala, chairperson of the Tamil Nadu Child Rights Commission, was present.
