Govt requests SRK, others not to endorse pan masala

The Delhi government has written to actors Ajay Devgan, Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Govinda, Arbaaz Khan and Sunny Leone, urging them not to endorse pan masala products as they contain areca nuts (supari), a potential cancer-causing agent.

The government has also urged the actors to join its anti-tobacco campaign to save the lives of lakhs of people, who die due to oral cancer every year.

“You are often seen on TV and other media advertising pan masala products. Even if these pan masalas do not contain tobacco or nicotine, they surely contain supari and now there are a lot of scientific evidences, which prove that supari causes cancer. Moreover, some of these pan masala advertisements are surrogate advertisements of tobacco products, which the manufacturing companies try to promote,” said Dr SK Arora, Additional Director (Health), Delhi government.

Arora said tobacco use among Indian women is showing an increasing trend compared with the rest of the world and that these advertisements, apart from e-cigarettes and hookah smoking, are playing a major role in it.

“You are the role model for youngsters, they watch you and your lifestyle and habits and try to adopt it. These advertisements attract the vulnerable population, especially children and females, very strategically and are directly and indirectly responsible for the increasing trends of tobacco use among youngsters and females in India,” he said.

“I humbly request you not to participate in pan masala or any other similar advertisements that are harming our society, especially the younger generations. Rather, I request you to join us in anti-tobacco campaign to save lakhs of preventable deaths,” Arora said.

Experts say supari, the main ingredient in pan masala is in the league of caffeine, tobacco and alcohol when it comes to addictive properties and also lead to a high number of cases of submucous fibrosis, which can easily turn cancerous. The Delhi government has already lodged FIRs against a few tobacco companies over surrogate tobacco advertisements.

The government, which is keen to making Delhi tobacco-free, has also launched a series of initiatives, including observing dry day for tobacco on the last day of every month and tobacco-free Delhi initiative in health, education, transport and police departments.

It regularly conducts various awareness and enforcement drives so that violations under Tobacco Control Act can be minimised. 

The government has already banned sale, purchase and storage of chewable tobacco products but has not been able to implement it because of court cases filed by some tobacco manufacturers which are still pending. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for February 18.