May 31 is observed as No Tobacco Day. Use of tobacco and Smoking are amongst the oldest potent health hazards for mankind. There are countless health hazards linked to smoking and the use of tobacco products which include an increased risk of heart disease, cancer, anxiety, hypertension, emphysema, respiratory disorders. The only justification smokers provide is that it reduces anxiety ( which is a wild myth). Tobacco kills 6 million people each year world wide of which 6 Lakh (0.6 million) are non-smokers dying from inhaling second hand smoke. There are approximately 120 million smokers in India. According to WHO ,12% of the world’s smokers are found in India and 9 Lakh people die every year in India due to smoking (2009 statistics).
The second hand smokers (passive smokers) have to bear the brunt for no fault of theirs. Smoking is optional, whereas breathing is not. Non-smokers should be protected from undesirable exposure to smoke. According to WHO the non-smokers are exposed to the same carcinogens (cancer causing agents) on account of tobacco and smoke as active smokers. Side stream smoke contains 69 known carcinogens, particularly benzopyrene and other polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons.
Second hand smoke causes the same problems as direct smoking, including Lung Cancer, Cardiovascular diseases, and lung ailments such as emphysema, bronchitis and asthma. Lifelong non-smokers with partners who smoke in the home have a 20–30% greater risk of lung cancer than non-smokers who live with non-smokers. Non-smokers exposed to cigarette smoke in the workplace have an increased lung cancer risk of 16–19%.
With nearly 70 percent of adults exposed to tobacco smoke in Jammu and Kashmir, the state is now emerging as the highest spending state on tobacco products.
“The state’s monthly spending on smoking tobacco as far outstrips the national monthly expenditure averages. While nationally, smokers aged 15 and above spend Rs 399.20 a month on cigarettes and Rs 93.40 on bidis, those in J-K spend Rs 513.60 and Rs 134.20, respectively, on these tobacco forms,” the Global Adult Tobacco Survey, (GATS) Government of India reveals. Consequently, health hazards due to passive smoking are also more in J&K than elsewhere in the North.
Interestingly, the survey reveals that 26.6 percent population of in Jammu & Kashmir is using tobacco product in one or the other of its form. Out of these users 41.6 percent are males and 10.3percent females. The average ages at daily initiation of tobacco use are 17.3 years in adults, 17.5 years in males and 14.9 years in females.
“It has come to light that the highest proportion of adults in J&K (69.7 percent) are exposed to tobacco smoke at home, out of which 72.1 percent are men and 66.9 percent are women. 67.9 percent of adults are exposed to tobacco smoke at workplaces, out of which 70.6 percent are men, 61.4 percent are women and 35.2 percent of adults are exposed to tobacco smoke in public places, out of which 46.1 percent are men, 23 percent are women,” the survey reveals.
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data, nearly 37 percent children in India initiate smoking before the age of 10 and each day, 5500 children begin tobacco use.
“The findings of these studies highlight the need for targeted interventions among youth in general and students in particular, especially given the marketing overdrive of the tobacco industry to promote the use of tobacco among youth,” said Seema Gupta, Director Programmes at the Voluntary Health Association of India, (VHAI).
Pertinently, the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), Tobacco Control Act enacted in 2003 applicable to the entire country was mainly to discourage the consumption of tobacco products through progressive restrictions and to protect non-smokers from passive smoking.
The Tobacco Control Law prohibits smoking in public places, ban on the Advertisement, Promotion and Sponsorship of all Tobacco Products and ban on the sale of tobacco to and by minors and prohibition on sale of tobacco products within 100 yards of educational institutions.
The implementation of COTPA is best done when the system/mechanism is institutionalized.
It is heartening to see that government of Jammu and Kashmir is coming forward to protect the health of people by supporting COTPA enforcement. The state should set an example thereby banning smoking in public places, banning tobacco advertisements at point of sale and banning the sale of tobacco products near educational institutions. With all these measures, the government can safeguard the health of the people especially the children and women across the state.
The Global Adult Tobacco Sur¬vey indicated that smoking and tobacco use causes 8-9 lakh deaths annually all around the world. The survey further revealed that the state of Jammu and Kashmir is among top states losing lives to tobacco and spends more than other states on tobacco products. This reflects that we as a society have been unsuccessful in restraining the menace of tobacco and our endeavors have been ineffective and insufficient, thus have not come to fruition.
Tobacco imposes a prodigious burden of disease and death leading to catastrophic health, social, eco¬nomic and environmental effects. The relationship between the use of tobacco and dreadful diseases is well established and well known today. Tobacco Smoking is hazardous to health and a causative agent of many physiological problems, like; cardio¬vascular problems, emphysema, tuberculosis, diges¬tive malfunctioning, chromosomal abnormality etc. The Cigarette is now commonly described as ‘Can¬cer-Stick’ due to its link with cancer. According to American Lung Association, there are about 600 in-gredients in a cigarette, which on burning produce 7000 chemicals, 69 of which cause various kinds of Cancer; lung cancer, lip cancer, kidney cancer and cancer of the larynx. Moreover, the fact that smok¬ing is the gateway to illicit drug use has escalated the problem.
Even after knowing these facts, why are peo¬ple still lighting up a cigarette or using tobacco in other ways?. This is a crucial question; we need to ponder over before pressing for curbing and con¬trolling this menace
The reasons, why people smoke, are many, which include social and psychological factors; how¬ever, the addictive nature of tobacco is the biggest concern. Many, who have smoked or are smoking too, are highly motivated to leave smoking but are not able to do so easily. Though quitting smoking is tough, it is not impossible. There exist many myths related to smoking like; Smokers have no sufficient willpower to stop smoking, they have addictive personalities etc. All of these are untrue. There are many examples where chain-smokers succeeded in quitting smoking. At this point, it is important to note that the ways of giving up smoking depend upon ‘why’ a person smokes. And a person can start the ‘stop-smoking strategy’ accordingly. If a person is a smoker because of unpleasant situations/condi¬tions, he is caught in, he needs to devise a plan to handle the situation rather than turning to a ciga¬rette/tobacco. A person must discern that ‘bad times come and go, but the health once deteriorated is hard to recuperate’. Similarly, people smoking for fun, to kill boredom or to change chaos into calm must re¬alize the fact that the calmness brought by smoking is short-lived but restlessness that it brings towards the end can be devastating.
It is outrightly commendable and heartening that government expresses concern and is showing interest towards this matter. ‘Cigarette and other tobacco products act (COTPA) 2003’ represented government’s keenness in tobacco control. This act prohibits smoking in public places, advertisement of tobacco products, and does not permit the selling of tobacco to minors (below the age of 18yrs). Also, it emphasized manufacturers to have pictorial warn¬ing of a skull or scorpion, in addition to the warn¬ing in text format reading ‘smoking kills’ etc. In addition to this, there are many other provisions di¬rected to contain and put a bridle on the spike of this problem. But, unluckily, we are in a society where most of the people believe ‘laws are meant to be bro¬ken’ irrespective of the nature of the law. Like other laws, COTPA has not been much effective. Obvious¬ly, there is a need to devise a proper plan of action to implement laws in letter and spirit. Furthermore concerned people, including physicians, activists, teachers, and parents must continue their efforts and work collaboratively with authorities to rein¬force each other. When government and common masses would be in sync on this issue, then all our attempts would find realization and tobacco menace will not be difficult to contain.