Cigarette and “bidi” manufacturers may soon have to declare tar and nicotine content on their packets, with the government setting in motion the process of establishing tobacco testing laboratories. “Five laboratories are being set up for testing tobacco products and are expected to be launched soon,” a senior health department official was quoted by news agencies, as saying. Section 7(5) of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohi-bition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 2003 (COTPA) mandates the labelling of nicotine and tar content on packets of cigarettes and other tobacco products. While the legislation was... [Read more]