Only the second state to do so.The state health department on Monday announced a ban on the sale of loose cigarettes, on the grounds that there was no way to warn such buyers of the dangers of smoking. On May 28, Chandigarh, the capital city of Punjab and Haryana, became the first region in the country to ban the sale of loose cigarettes.The Maharashtra health department officials told this newspaper that the decision has been approved by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The state has also decided to make it illegal to chew tobacco in public places.Principal Secretary (health) Sujata Saunik said that unlike cigarette packets, which carry a written and a pictorial warning, loose cigarettes carry no such deterrent. A health department report said that more than 70 per cent smokers in the state buy loose cigarettes, and its sale was in violation of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) of 2003.“A public notification will be issued in a couple of days, following which the ban will come into effect. Anyone found selling loose cigarettes will face action under the sections of the COTPA. Besides, we will be the first state in India to ban tobacco-chewing in public,” Saunik said.As per the provisions of the Section 20 of the COTPA, the vendors as well as manufacturers are punishable with imprisonment for a term that may extend up to two years and/or a fine up to Rs 5,000. A repeat would result in a jail term up to five years and a fine up to Rs 10,000.”Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, professor of head and neck department at Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital, who was part of a government-appointed seven-member committee formed to plug loopholes in the COPTA, said the ban on loose cigarettes should have come about a long time ago.“Most smokers buy loose cigarettes, especially youngsters. Among those patients who developed cancer because of smoking, 95% said that they developed the habit during their teens and always purchased loose cigarettes,” Chaturvedi said.