India is the second largest consumer and producer of tobacco after China in the world and more than 267 million people in India are users of tobacco. The tobacco smoking evil is fast spreading its vicious tentacles in many states of India including the Jammu and Kashmir. According to a survey conducted by National Family Health Survey (NFHS), Jammu and Kashmir has the highest number of people who consume tobacco by smoking and cigarettes are the most common form of tobacco consumption. Men, women and children are involved in tobacco consumption evil in various forms like cigarettes, bidis, hookah and cigars and pipes. Every year, smokers here spend crores of rupees on tobacco consumption and smokers spend crores of rupees for treatment of their health problems caused by smoking tobacco. Tobacco Production, distribution, consumption and post-consumer waste damages our environment, reduces climate resilience, wastes our important natural resources like soil, water, forests etc. and also affects human health severely. Tobacco cultivation is prevalent over 124 countries in the world and millions of hectares of fertile land are occupied by tobacco cultivation. Millions of trees are chopped on the mother earth to make tobacco products. Tobacco cultivation contributes largely to deforestation. Deforestation causes climate change, global warming, soil erosion, reduces soil fertility and disturbs water cycle. Tobacco cultivation uses pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides that contribute more to water pollution, soil pollution and air pollution. All pollution kills lakhs of aquatic and terrestrial organisms and disturbs an ecological balance in nature. Tobacco cultivation causes food insecurity in the world. According to a report, more than 349 million people in the world are currently facing acute food insecurity and tobacco cultivation adds to food insecurity. Tobacco farming and industry use tons of water that causes water crisis. Tobacco industry and smoking tobacco annually release megatons of carbon footprint into the atmosphere adding to global warming and climate change. Discarded tobacco materials like cigarette filters contain micro plastic that pollute fresh water bodies, roads, parks and soil. Global tobacco manufacturing produces tonnes of solid waste, non-recyclable nicotine containing chemical waste and chemical waste contributing further to pollution. There is hardly any family in Jammu and Kashmir whose at least one family member is not involved either in smoking tobacco or breathing in second hand smoke. Smoking is a bad habit and prohibited by all religions. Smoking has many negative impacts on smokers’ health, their family and makes them financially bankrupt. Jammu and Kashmir is the state with the highest prevalence of chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). It is a killer disease linked to tobacco smoking. Patients with chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) suffer coughing, wheezing, breathlessness and even death. Lung cancer is one of the commonest cancers in the world and about 1.8 million deaths are caused per year in the world due to lung cancer. According to a report, India accounts for 1.3 million deaths due to tobacco use.
“Battle against smoking should not be confined to photo shows and media bytes for likes and fame. It is the duty and responsibility of all conscious citizens to wage a joint war against tobacco smoking at ground level for the welfare of people, economy and environment.”
Millions of people live with many lung diseases, inflammation and cardiac related issues in India. Tobacco products are toxic as they contain over seven thousands harmful chemicals among which most are carcinogenic that cause cancer. About 27 % of all cancers in India are due to tobacco usage. It also causes cardiovascular diseases, high BP, Brain haemorrhage, impotence, infertility, neurological, lung and oral diseases. Men, women, and children addicted to nicotine present in tobacco smoking, their bodies crave for nicotine if they do not smoke. Pregnant women involved in smoking have greater risk of developing some abnormalities particularly miscarriage, low birth weight, preterm birth, neurological problems in child and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Smoking takes a person to drug addiction and the drug addiction evil is the mother of all evils in a contemporary society. Jammu and Kashmir tops among the drug addiction states particularly Punjab, Bihar etc. More than twelve lakh young youth here are involved in drug addiction. Over the last many years, the crime graph in Jammu and Kashmir has touched the heights’. Here hardly passes a day when a crime does not happen. Incidence of murder, rape, suicides, accidents, theft, and burglary are results of drug abuse. Easy accessibility of tobacco products and drugs is one of the reasons for the rising graph of smokers, drug addicts and crimes in the state. In Jammu and Kashmir, almost all educational institutions’ are surrounded by shops and vendors selling cigarettes to younger people. Despite a strict ban by the government for selling tobacco products within 500 metres of educational institutions, tobacco sellers feel no hesitation and fear of laws for selling tobacco products to younger age within 500 meters of educational institutions. Although there are a number of stringent laws dealing with tobacco smoking unfortunately, we failed in implementing it on ground level. Despite people knowing about the ill effects of tobacco smoking, they still consume tobacco. It is ironic that some religious preachers, teachers and educated persons are involved in smoking and even some smokers are participating in no tobacco awareness campaigns’ and programmes. If we want to free our society from tobacco smoking and save people and the environment from ill effects of smoking, conscious and civilised non-smokers should conduct awareness programmes about the ill effects of smoking and offer support to help smokers to quit tobacco. All school and college heads should declare their educational institutions’ smoke free zones and the government must tighten their noose against shopkeepers’ and vendors selling tobacco products within 500 metres of educational institutions. Implementation of Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade, Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act (COTPA) 2003, various orders and notifications issued by the Government is the need of the hour. COTPA Act is a comprehensive act established in 2003. It aims to make the public places free from smoking. It places restrictions on tobacco production, supply, distribution, trade, commerce, sale, advertising and promotions. Imposition of heavy tax on tobacco products, implementation of Polluter pays principle and Tobacco industry to be responsible for cleaning up the pollution that it creates. Additional treatment facility centres to be established in every hospital for necessary support to smokers and other addicts for their healthier life and eradication of rising smoking evil. Prohibiting smoking at public places and imprisonment of violators will have a positive impact on society. Celebrities and social media influencers must reject offers of tobacco industries for promotion of tobacco products’. Film, television, drama, serial production companies must pledge to avoid depicting tobacco products use. Tobacco farmers should be motivated by the government to switch over to sustainable crops for food security, economic security, health of people and sustainable environment. Battle against smoking should not be confined to photo shows and media bytes for likes and fame. It is the duty and responsibility of all conscious citizens to wage a joint war against tobacco smoking at ground level for the welfare of people, economy and environment.
(The author is a teacher at Govt Higher Secondary School Beerwa Budgam. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”.)
