§ Mr. PickthallTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made on controlling the import of oral tobacco products with particular reference to gutkha. [155883]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer sent 28 March 2001]: So long as oral tobacco from overseas sources does not fall within a banned category, complies with United Kingdom Customs duty regulations and carries health warnings, their import into the UK is not illegal.
However, we wish to ensure that people have information about health risks. We are, therefore, seeking to develop greater awareness of the health risks associated with oral tobacco as part of our tobacco information strategy. We are working on a dedicated campaign, focused on high risk ethnic minority populations, to address the health risks of smoking and the use of oral tobacco in order to decrease demand for these products. We have funded a training pack for trading standards officers on oral tobacco.