On October 2nd, India celebrated Mahatma Gandhi’s 139 birthday by imposing the world’s largest “smoking ban”. Yes, you read it right – a smoking ban in India!!!! Now for those of us who have lived there or were born and raised there, the news literally knocked the (non-carbon monoxide) breath out of us. Well, at least it did for me.
This ban prohibits people from smoking in all public places, including bars, offices and bus stands. As I read the article, I thought how typical of India to allow smoking in offices 🙂 Also according to this article, the Union “Heath” (Health) minister said he was speaking out on behalf of the non-smokers who have to endure the second-hand smoke every time they step out of their homes. He appealed to movie stars to quit doing smoking scenes in movies as life imitates art and this influences the young generation directly. And some big screen actors have actually quit doing scenes with smoking in it.
They seem to be taking this thing pretty seriously, according to the article and ignoring the complaints of the tobacco companies and bar owners. The statement was that they are determined to educate the illiterate and the young population about the dangers of smoking and drinking.
40% of India’s health problems are linked to tobacco. There is also an increasing rate of smoking among women and this is raising some serious health concerns for the country as a whole. My favorite part of the article was this last paragraph :
“However, everyone agrees that much will depend on compliance rather than enforcement. Past attempts to ban spitting and urinating in public drew little success”
Here is the link to the actual Prohibition Document for the Smoking and Spitting Act established in 2002:
http://www.tn.gov.in/gorders/hfw/hfw-e-93-2003.htm
So, honestly, if I landed in any airport in India and was not instantly hit with the faint urine smell or the splatters of tobacco on the walls, I could be seriously geographically disoriented and believe I was lost!!
