Smoking It Up: Despite Threat Of Jail Time, Cigarettes Freely Sold To Minors

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In an effort to stem the increasing number of adolescents picking up the habit of smoking or chewing tobacco, the Indian government has imposed harsher penalties on the sale of tobacco to minors. However, BOOM shows that despite increasing the monetary fine and introducing a jail term, it is fairly easy for minors to procure tobacco products.

India is unique in the range of tobacco products that are available at different price points, targeted at populations with different socioeconomic and demographic profiles. But in this case variety is not the spice of life - tobacco is one of the biggest causes for cardiovascular disease in India. Every one in three persons who die due to a cardiovascular disease have a history of tobacco use.

The Indian government is trying to get a handle on this growing tobacco crisis. The new Juvenile Justice Act of 2015, brings in stricter laws to ensure that those below the age of 18 years are not sold tobacco products. BOOM surveyed four different locations in Mumbai to see how easy or difficult it is for someone below the age of 18 to procure cigarettes. Watch our report.