Translation of a global best practice in tobacco control:

Exploring plain-packaging for India using the Australian experience

Australia India Institute Tobacco Control Task Force

THANK YOU to Nicola Roxon, Paul Grogen, Rob Moodie, Srinath Reddy, Simon Chapman, Alan Lopez, Dallas English, Jonathan Liberman, Nevin Wilson, Monika Arora, Radhika Shrivastav, Mike Daube, Melanie Wakefield, Amit Yadav, Luke Atkin, Simon Cotterell, Amitabh Mattoo

Nathan Grills (DPH, MBBS, DPH, MPH)

Why does India Need Plain Packaging

•  35% (275 million) Indian adults use tobacco (*GATS 2009 results)

•  1.2 million tobacco related deaths in India in 2010 (Lancet) •  50% of cancers in men and 20% in women are attributable to

tobacco consumption •  5,500 kids start using tobacco each day in India •  Highly glamorised tobacco packs used for advertising to kids Plain packaging in India could: •  “... see future generations of children growing up never having seen

highly toxic and carcinogenic tobacco products packed in designer boxes, but instead in plain boxes with unforgettable graphic warnings” - Simon Chapman –  Reduce attractiveness and glamorisation of tobacco packs –  Increase the prominence, effectiveness and recall of existing

and future health warnings –  Draw more attention to the dangers of tobacco in India –  Support regional efforts in advancing stronger pictorial warnings

Australia à India: the story so far

•  Australia: >24 academic papers (Wakefield et al, Hammond et al,)

•  The A.I.I. Plain Packaging taskforce report summarises the evidence

•  Australia - India Council Grant (DFAT) (2015) o  India Delegation (Dec 2014) o  Working alongside Uni of Melbourne o  McCabe, CCV, DoH

•  India: •  Change of government •  New opportunities •  Widespread support •  92% approval

Australia à India: The way forwards

•  Building a tripartite collaboration: –  India: PHFI and HRIDAY –  Melbourne: University of Melbourne and other experts –  UK: Oxford University

•  Research planned for 2015 –  Surveillance of smoking behaviours including prevalence –  Focus on contextual information on acceptance and attitudes

towards package interventions –  Research on package standardisation

•  Legal •  Economic •  Political

•  Funding….

Thank you! Prof RRob

Alan Lopez, Nicola Roxon, Paul Grogen, Rob Moodie, Srinath Reddy, Simon Chapman, Dallas English, Jonathan Liberman, Nevin Wilson, Monika Arora, Radhika Shrivastav, Mike Daube, Melanie Wakefield, Amit Yadav, Luke Atkin, Simon Cotterell, Amitabh Mattoo