Provisions of LMA and amended rules states that retail sale price means the maximum price at which the commodity in packaged form may be sold to the ultimate consumer and the price shall be printed on the package.
Legal Metrology Organisation (LMO) of Maharashtra has recently sent letters to all cigarette and bidi manufacturers to comply to the amended Legal Metrology Act (LMA) which states that no tobacco product can be sold without mandatory display as prescribed by the Act. The direct ramification of this amendment is that loose cigarettes and bidis can not be sold loose henceforth.
"Tobacco is the only legal consumer product that can harm everyone exposed to it and it kills up to half of those who use it as intended. Therefore, the tobacco industry looks for tapping new consumers, with special attention on young children. Sale of loose cigarette and bidi is one such established marketing strategy of the tobacco industry to promote its sale. As per the Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 2009, 14.6% of the youth in the age group of 13-15 years in India consume tobacco in some form or other. More than 5,500 children/adolescents start tobacco consumption daily," said a doctor from Tata Memorial Hospital.
He added that nearly two-third of the sale of cigarette and bidis is in the form of loose sticks. "Loose sale encourages sale of tobacco products especially to children by increasing propensity and susceptibility of minors to buy tobacco products. It also thwarts the measures of government to reduce the demand of tobacco by raising taxes. The consumer does not feel the rigors of price rise due to increase in taxes when he buys the tobacco products individually or loose instead of the whole pack. Lack of pictorial warning on loose cigarettes deprives the buyer of the impactful information about harmful effects of tobacco. Though, sale of loose cigarette/bidi should be prohibited for violating sections of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, it has not been enforced till now," he said.
"Provisions of LMA and amended rules states that retail sale price means the maximum price at which the commodity in packaged form may be sold to the ultimate consumer and the price shall be printed on the package. The Act also lays down that no person shall manufacture, pack, sell, import, distribute, deliver, offer, expose or possess for sale any pre-packaged commodity unless such package is in such standard quantities or number and bears thereon such declarations and particulars in such manner as may be prescribed. Basically, sale of loose cigarette or bidi is not allowed as per the Act," said LMO Contoller, Amitabh Gupta.
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