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Maharashtra's missive to Time on cigarette ads

The Maharashtra state's food and medicine department has sought a clarification from Time magazine for not printing the statutory warning "Cigarette smoking is injurious to health" while carrying cigarette advertisements. Not carrying the statutory warning contravenes the Cigarette Manufacture, Supplies, and Distribution Act, 1975.

The commissioner, food and medicine department, has despatched a letter to Time Chief Editor Norman Pearlstate, at the publication's Hong Kong address. The letter states that either Norman or a Time representative visit the department on November 10 to clarify the matter or else a case will be filed with the police for violating the relevant act.

Anil Kumar Lakhina, commissioner, food and medicine department, said the weekly had not been printing the statutory warning on Marlboro cigarette advertisements for the past three years. He held Time responsible for the same, because as per Section 17 of the Act, it is obligatory on the part of any person, directly or indirect related with the above mentioned processes, to issue a statutory warning on cigarette packets and advertisements printed or shown in any media.

Lakhina pointed out that the regulation to issue a statutory warning is universal and not India-specific and that the colour of the warning should be properly highlighted so as to attract the readers' attention.

If food and medicine department file a complaint, the police will have the right to impound copies of the magazine. The guilty can also receive a sentence of three years imprisonment.

Lakhina said a cigarette advertisement on the back cover of Time is one of the weekly's most consistent features. He also said that a majority of the magazines did not carry the statutory cigarette warning.

Compiled and translated from the Marathi media by Prasanna Zore