Tobacco being one of the causes of preventable deaths and diseases today is an issue of concern for both the people and as well as the health specialists in Jammu & Kashmir like other parts of the country. In Jammu & Kashmir too the increasing intensity in tobacco smoking has thrown up a bigger challenge to health specialists as it finally has ill effects on health and physical growth of children. Experiences show that people addicted to tobacco smoking easily develop addiction to drugs and unfortunately drug addiction has shown an unprecedented rise across Jammu & Kashmir. Health consciousness among people of all age groups can bring under control both the Tobacco smoking and as wells as drug addiction. So raising the health consciousness among people about ill effects of both tobacco smoking and as well as drug addiction is the first big challenge for the health specialists in Jammu & Kashmir . Though Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 (COTPA) is applicable to Jammu & Kashmir like other parts of the country but implementation and enforcement of this law is not as much effective in Jammu and Kashmir as it is in other parts of the country. The laxity shown by the Government in according priority to implementation of Tobacco Product Act 2003 (COTPA) and lack of health consciousness among the people about tobacco smoking are obviously the two main causes of the increasing spread of tobacco smoking . The situation developing due to rise in tobacco smoking necessitates launch of some momentous steps collectively by the government and as well as the civil society groups to break new grounds in controlling the tobacco smoking menace in Jammu and Kashmir. In Kashmir valley the central Kashmir district Budgam was declared tobacco free district few years back but progress in anti-smoking initiatives has not been noticed in most of the districts of both Kashmir valley and Jammu division.
“Awareness programs to raise health consciousness among the people of all age groups and curbs on smoking at public places by law enforcing authorities would surely signify a new hope and herald a new chapter in a joint tobacco control campaign by the Government and the civil society groups in Jammu and Kashmir. By all probabilities the anti-smoking campaign is a challenge for health specialists, Government, civil society groups and community level partners working on tobacco control”.
Amid increasing concerns of heath specialists on increasing tendencies of tobacco smoking among youth in Jammu & Kashmir the curbs on tobacco products is the only measure government has taken to curb the growing menace of tobacco smoking . Though burdened with several bottlenecks, new policy initiatives have come into force on banning sale of tobacco to minors, ban on gutka and regulating tobacco use and display in films but still situation necessitates the Government intervention to prevent spread of tobacco smoking in all districts of both Kashmir Valley and Jammu division. Awareness programs to raise health consciousness among the people of all groups and curbs on smoking at public places by law enforcing authorities would surely signify a new hope and herald a new chapter in a joint tobacco control campaign by the Government and the civil society groups in Jammu and Kashmir. By all probabilities the anti-smoking campaign is a challenge for health specialists, Government, civil society groups and community level partners working on tobacco control .
