Arguments in favor of the ban on tobacco advertising in India
There are many people that think that smokers should be capable of deciding by themselves what was good or bad for their health and that, therefore it had to play the role of a responsible mother. Amit Sarkar, Editor, Tobacco News said that “Adults who consume tobacco do so of their own free choice. The risk falls entirely on them and is fully explained to them.

If we lose sight of this principle, then we lose sight of the truth on which all the free societies depend, namely that freedom and risks are inextricable, and whomsoever assumes the right to save us from risks, is also assuming right to limit our freedom". The Supreme Court in Canada, held, "The State seeks to control the thought, beliefs and behavior of its citizens along the line it considers acceptable. This form of paternalism is unacceptable in a free and democratic society".
Also, if it were legal to manufacture and sell tobacco products, it should be legal to advertise it as well. Tobacco companies around the world have been vehemently denying that they sell the concept of smoking. They insist that the role of marketing, was merely to assist adults in making an informed brand choice and that advertising merely enhanced the market share of a particular brand.
Some analysts pointed out that the ban could lead to spurt in surrogate advertising, which could defeat the very purpose of the ban. Moreover, there seemed to be no sense in imposing such a