In harm’s way: tobacco industry revenues from sales to underage tobacco users in India

Abstract

Background: In 2010, the global adult tobacco survey (GATS) for India revealed that nearly 40% of current smokers and 42% of current chewers had initiated tobacco use before they were of the legal age (18 years old or over). Global evidence shows that those who initiate earlier have a lower probability of quitting the use of tobacco during their lifetime. In order to sustain its profits, the tobacco industry will make every effort to recruit underage users who become lifelong users of their products. Aims and objectives: We estimate the consumer expenditure on tobacco products by underage users in India. Methodology: Using nationally representative data we estimated the number of daily underage tobacco users for a year and their annual expenditure on different types of smoked and chewed tobacco products. Results: There are nearly 4.4 million underage daily tobacco users (age group 15–17 years old) in India. Approximately 7.2% of the population in the 15–17 age group are current daily users of tobacco (0.1% cigarette smokers, 0.5% bidi smokers and 6.6% tobacco chewers). Underage users spend nearly US$16.9 million and US$270.8 million respectively on smoking and chewing tobacco products. Conclusion: There is a substantial expenditure on tobacco products by underage individuals in India. A significant number of new users are added every year that provide an estimate for the size and nature of the future of the tobacco epidemic, one on which the tobacco industry depends on for its sustenance. The government of India’s efforts to reduce sale to underage users has had limited effect and needs to be strengthened.