Illicit cigarettes may harm your Health

1. CHECK YOUR CIGARETTE PACK BEFORE YOU BUY IT The nationwide lockdown has exceeded 100 days and as expected, the availability of cigarettes is still less. While everything is getting eased throughout the country, why isn’t the distribution of cigarettes? Why are the smokers facing the heat, while everything around seems fine? However, seeing this as an opportunity, contrabands have surged into the market. It does come as a surprise but as a smoker, one has to be more cautious than ever. On 15th June 2020, the Directorate Revenue of Intelligence seized cigarettes of foreign brands worth around ₹12 crores at Nhava Sheva, Navi Mumbai. The team busted the imported cigarette smuggling racket which smuggled cigarettes from Dubai. Multiple reports show a spike in cigarette smuggling during the lockdown in the last few months. These illicit cigarettes are generally sold at a cheaper price which may seem to be helpful now. While this might seem to be an easy option available but it is important to know the safety and other legal issues that come with these illicit cigarettes. Smokers need to be cautious while picking up their smoke and not letting themselves in with any random brand. A recent report showed that one out of every three cigarettes available in the market is illegal, making it vulnerable to health hazards. One of the multiple ways by which they find a way into the market is by overproduction by tobacco companies, saving tax on the surplus. Since the surplus quantity is not monitored, its composition also goes unchecked. What everybody needs to understand is that illicit cigarettes harm the individual’s health in additional ways. Therefore, it’s a request to each and every person who smokes to be cautious while picking their smokes by making sure they do not buy contrabands just because it’s cheaper or readily available. Source:https://www.smokersforum.in/smokers-digest/detail/editorial/check-your-cigarette-pack-bef ore-you-buy-it