BENGALURU: Lawyers for Tobacco Control led by freedom fighter H S Doreswamy will issue a 21-day ultimatum to the Chief Minister on Monday to reinstate the ban on chewing tobacco in the state failing which they will pile up bodies of those who died of tobacco-related diseases in front of the CM’s house, a press statement from the collective said.
Advocate S S Ravishankar, president of Lawyers for Tobacco Control, in his statement said, “Immediately reverse the suicidal reopening of chewing tobacco manufacturing factories in Karnataka failing which bodies of persons who die due to chewing tobacco will be deposited at the Chief Minister’s residence each day.”
Cancer Patients’ Aid Association convener Vasanth Mysoremath, their advocate in the Karnataka High Court KV Dhananjay, Raghavendra EP, advocate, along with representatives of Karnataka Krushikara Sangha, tobacco cultivators and cancer patients are others who are supporting this ultimatum.
“Some states treat tobacco on par with cyanide, chloroform and heroin. One-third of the adult population in Karnataka consumes tobacco. Of this, 63 per cent chews tobacco,” the statement said.
On October 26, 2016, the state government had issued an order to stop sale, distribution, production and manufacture of chewing tobacco. In August 2011, the central government (under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006) prohibited chewing tobacco, following which state governments were required to issue corresponding orders.
After five years, the Karnataka government took the step to prohibit chewing tobacco. But, on May 6, the state government reversed this ban by allowing manufacture of chewing tobacco in the state.