Tobacco ban only on paper
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 16 2025: The Government's ban on the manufacture, storage, distribution, and sale of tobacco products, intended to curb public health risks associated with tobacco use, has largely failed to achieve its objectives.

Despite the comprehensive nature of the prohibition, the order has been rendered ineffective primarily due to inadequate enforcement mechanisms, widespread non-compliance, and systemic loopholes.

Moreover, gutkha, pan masala, khaini, and several other tobacco products are easily available in paan shops, stores, and vendors.

People don't seem bothered about the ban.

Tobacco ban only on paper

Despite the ban being in place for years with regular extensions, people believe that the Government's prohibition on tobacco products has only driven up prices, making them costlier for consumers and traders, on the other hand, are allegedly exploiting the situation by selling banned items at inflated rates.

The Supreme Court had directed States and Union Territories to prohibit such products in 2016, but they are still widely available and people spitting tobacco wherever they please is also a common sight.

Speaking to The Sangai Express on the condition of anonymity, a retired Health official slammed the Government's tobacco ban as a "paper tiger", saying people flout it due to zero enforcement.

The order looks good on paper, but there's no groundwork to back it up, he said.

He also said that people take the order lightly for they know the Government will remain silent after issuing it.

Saying that the ban on tobacco products has been unsuccessful so far and it speaks volume of the ineffectiveness of the authority concerned, he added that traders are cashing in on the ban, selling banned tobacco products at inflated prices.

The Government has been banning tobacco products like gutkha, pan masala, and khaini since 2018 to promote public health, but these banned items are still widely available even at shops and vendors near Government offices, he pointed out.

The latest ban order on the manufacture, storage, distribution, and sale of gutkha, pan masala, and other chewable tobacco products was issued on October 27 under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, by highlighting the risks associated with consuming tobacco or nicotine-containing products.