The Union Health Ministry of India has planned to increase the legal age of tobacco smoking from the current 18 years to 21 years. The Ministry has proposed that only those attaining the age of 21 years will be allowed to smoke.
For your information, let us tell you that at present, people above the age of 18 can smoke tobacco in the country. This is being done under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) as a drastic step to curb tobacco use in the country. For this, the Health Ministry held a meeting with senior officials to make suitable amendments. A Health Ministry official said that a legal sub-group was formed to make amendments for tobacco control. We have submitted our recommendations to the Ministry.
Regarding this matter, he further said that apart from increasing the legal age of tobacco use to 21 years and above, we have also recommended increasing the penalty amount for those who violate the rules. Teens are more vulnerable in this age group and can easily make it a habit due to peer pressure. Legal aging will help limit the number of young teenagers who engage in smoking habits.
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