Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has approved the sale of products to quit cigarette-tobacco addiction in shops. Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) products to quit cigarette tobacco can now be sold in shops as well.
After this decision of the High Court, products can now be sold in the form of chewing gum, powder, and spray. Till now, people wishing to quit cigarettes and tobacco used to buy these products from various e-commerce platforms.
Dr. Chandrakant S. Pandav, former HOD of Community Medicine at Delhi AIIMS, said that this decision of the High Court marks a significant change. NRT provides a safe and effective aid for people wishing to quit smoking. This helps people gradually reduce their nicotine intake and lead a smoke-free life. The lifting of the ban and its easy availability will encourage quitting smoking.
At the same time, Dr. Niranjan Naik, Director of Onco-Surgery at Fortis Gurugram, said that NRT is a safe and effective measure, widely recognized as the most effective aid in quitting tobacco. By allowing its wide availability, we can help millions of smokers who want to quit.
NRT was also included in the National List of Essential Medicines (2022) some time ago. This also emphasizes its importance in the public health initiative of quitting tobacco. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1 million people lose their lives every year in India due to cigarettes.
NRT was previously banned under the Poisons Act of 1919. Now these products will also be able to be sold at retail stores. However, many products, including e-cigarettes and some medicines, are still not allowed to be sold in retail stores. Some such NRT products cannot be sold without consulting a doctor.
Products in the form of chewing gum, patches, and sprays provide a controlled dose of nicotine to ease the process of quitting cigarette tobacco. Chewing gum releases nicotine slowly. Patches have a continuous effect, and inhalers work like smoking for immediate relief.
Mints dissolve in the mouth and work very carefully and slowly on nicotine cravings.