Does India have the collective will to quit smoking?

This year marks the 25th year of the ban on smoking in public places, a landmark judgement of the Kerala High Court. Subsequently, the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, was passed, which prohibited smoking in public places and introduced penalties for violations.

Despite decades of policy action, however, India is the world’s second-largest consumer and producer of tobacco, and consequently faces a formidable public health and economic challenge.

The Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2016-’17 says that nearly 267 million Indian adults – about 29% of the adult population – use tobacco in some form. More recent estimates suggest there are around 253 million tobacco users in India as of 2022. The lack of updated national surveys since 2022 limits precise tracking of current trends, highlighting the need for frequent surveys to inform evidence-based policymaking.

While the ban under act has led to reduced passive smoking, enforcement remains inconsistent across states, according to the Report on Tobacco Control in India 2022, by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Nicotine is among the most addictive substances in the world, with some researchers deeming it to be more addictive than cocaine and heroin. “The tobacco industry takes advantage of this by targeting young people through advertisements and behavioural strategies, aiming to create lifelong customers,” says Ravi Mehrotra, Program...

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