Pan Masala Ban in Bihar

Problem Statement

GATS-2 (2017) reveals that in the state of Bihar 25.9% adults use tobacco products, of which 23.5% adults use SLT including Pan Masala. Nearly 14.6% of children (13- 15 years) use tobacco in any form.

Programme Description

The use of magnesium carbonate, nicotine among other additives is prohibited in any food product including Pan Masala. However, testing of pan masala products from Bihar by State food testing laboratory to contain magnesium carbonate. Thus State banned the manufacture, storage, transportation and sale of 15 prominent brands of Pan Masala (Rajnigandha, Rajniwas, Supreme, Pan Parag, Bahar, Bahubali, Rajshree, Raunak, Siggnature, Sir Gold, Shikhar, Vimal, Kamala Pasand, Pashan and Madhu).

Programme Outcomes

• Prevalence of Smoke Less Tobacco (SLT) reduced in the state. Leading to lower incidence of Oral Cancer.
• Pan Masala brands including SLT (Twin Pack) have vanished from the market.
• Spreading Awareness through media coverage.
• Point of sale (PoS) have become free from SLT.
• Outdoor advertisement of Pan Masala have been removed.

Scalability

Similar initiative needs to be undertaken in other states to strictly regulate and ban brands which contain toxic chemicals.

Implementation Partners (If any)

Socio Economic and Educational Development Society (SEEDS), a national level non-profit organization. Due to this GO-NGO collaborative efforts Bihar has taken rapid strides in tobacco control. With the continuous and rigorous efforts of SEEDS the major outcomes of tobacco control programme was significant decrease in Tobacco consumption in the state which has reduced from 53.5% in 2010 to 25.9% in 2017. Other significant achievement of this collaboration is technical and legal support in whole process of Pan Masala ban in Bihar.

Financial Implications

There are no financial implication in the process of Pan Masala ban initiative.

Source : We Care Coffee Table Book - Good, Replicable and Innovative Practices 2019