Indian official seeks $ from tobacco companies

[Robert Weissman <rob@essential.org>]

Times of India- Mumbai- 18th July 1999

            Deora seeks Rs 500 cr from
            tobacco firms in SC writ 

            By Our Law Reporter

            MUMBAI: President of the Mumbai Regional
            Congress Committee Murli Deora has filed a public
            interest petition in the supreme court demanding that
            tobacco companies pay a compensation of Rs 500
            crore for the hazardous effects caused by the sale of
            tobacco and its products.

            This sum of money would form a continuing corpus
            for a Health Care and Awareness Fund (HCAF) to
            be maintained by the Union ministry of health and
            family welfare.

            The money from this fund would be used to
            highlight the negative effects of tobacco
            consumption and to conduct research to reduce
            tobacco dependence and usage. The money would
            also be used to identify and evaluate the effects of
            both the tobacco and non-tobacco constituents of
            tobacco products on public health, Mr Deora has
            stated in his petition.

            The petition, which is expected to come up for
            hearing shortly, has been filed to control the sale of
            tobacco and tobacco products, including gutka,
            which could cause cancer and result in the death of
            about a million people every year in India.

            Mr Deora has pointed out that tobacco smoke
            contains more than 4,000 different chemicals, 45 of
            which are carcinogenic. The harmful ingredients
            include nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide and smoke
            particles. ``Many of the chemicals in tobacco cause
            cancer when painted on the skin of laboratory
            animals such as rats and mice,'' Mr Deora has stated.

            Moreover, nicotine diffuses immediately into the
            lungs when smoked and in the smokeless form, it
            collects in the mouth or nose. Nicotine is a strong
            and addictive drug which weakens the nervous
            system, increases the heart beat and blood pressure
            and leaves the body with less oxygen, thereby
            forcing a greater work load on the heart.

            Once it reaches the blood stream, nicotine rapidly
            spreads throughout the body. Nicotine also causes
            skeletal muscle relaxation and has adverse
            cardiovascular and hormonal effects. At high
            exposure levels, nicotine is a potent and lethal
            poison. Nicotine addiction can cause mood swings,
            erratic behaviour and obsessive cravings. The
            addictive power of nicotine in tobacco products is
            similar to that of heroin and alcohol, according to the
            twentieth annual report of the United States Surgeon
            General.

            More than 332 crore people in India are addicted to
            tobacco and nearly 55,000 children take to smoking
            in the country every day, Mr Deora has stated. Both
            the central and state governments have to pay heavily
            for treatment of tobacco-related deaths such as
            cancer at public hospitals.

            Hence, Mr Deora has demanded that the supreme
            court direct the central government to ensure that
            public interest messages should highlight the hazards
            of consuming tobacco and discourage the
            consumption of tobacco and its products.