Mumina Kha, Dr. Bilal A Bhat
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the Nicotiana genus and the Solanaceae (nightshade) family, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of the tobacco plant. A variety of plant materials are smoked, including marijuana and hashish, but the act is most commonly linked with tobacco as smoked in a cigarette, cigar, or pipe. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the chief commercial crop is N. tabacum. It has been popular since centuries and its use is significantly increasing in spite of alarming health hazards. However, so far a lot has been known about its disadvantages, but still tobacco is grown, developed, advertised, marketed, and sold to earn a big chunk of the financial cake. It is one of the great sources of revenue for the government as excise duty. Tobacco derived from the leaves of the genus Nicotiana, a plant from the night-shade family, was first discovered by the native people of Mesoamerica and South America and later introduced to Europe and the rest of the world. Early in tobacco’s history, it was used as a cure-all remedy, for dressing wounds, reducing pain, and even for tooth aches. Archeological studies suggest the use of tobacco in around first century BC, when Maya people of Central America used tobacco leaves for smoking, in sacred and religious ceremonies.
Tobacco had already long been used in the Americas by the time European settlers arrived and took the practice to Europe, where it became popular. Tobacco either smoked or smokeless is a silent, relentless killer that is responsible for the ill health of not only the consumer but also the family due to second – hand – smoke, especially for young children and pregnant women, and loss of life at a younger age. Smoking cigarettes affects the respiratory system, the circulatory system, the reproductive system, the skin, and the eyes, and it increases the risk of many different cancers. This is why it’s so important for young people to stay away from smoking and vaping.
Worldwide every year on May 31, the global community pauses to observe World No Tobacco Day, a global health campaign led by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco use and to support effective policies to reduce consumption.This year, the World Health Organization (WHO) has established a vital theme: “Unmasking the Appeal – Countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction.” We notice that the tobacco and nicotine industries pivot to high-tech, flavored, and deceptively packaged products, the 2026 campaign serves as an urgent wake-up call. It demands that governments, parents, educators, NGO’s and communities unite to expose these modern predatory tactics and safeguard the next generation.
The history of tobacco is a story of tragic transformation. Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the Nicotiana genus and the Solanaceae (nightshade) family, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of the tobacco plant. A variety of plant materials are smoked, including marijuana and hashish, but the act is most commonly linked with tobacco as smoked in a cigarette, cigar, or pipe. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the chief commercial crop is N. tabacum. It has been popular since centuries and its use is significantly increasing in spite of alarming health hazards. However, so far a lot has been known about its disadvantages, but still tobacco is grown, developed, advertised, marketed, and sold to earn a big chunk of the financial cake. It is one of the great sources of revenue for the government as excise duty.
Tobacco derived from the leaves of the genus Nicotiana, a plant from the night-shade family, was first discovered by the native people of Mesoamerica and South America and later introduced to Europe and the rest of the world. Early in tobacco’s history, it was used as a cure-all remedy, for dressing wounds, reducing pain, and even for tooth aches. Archeological studies suggest the use of tobacco in around first century BC, when Maya people of Central America used tobacco leaves for smoking, in sacred and religious ceremonies. Tobacco had already long been used in the Americas by the time European settlers arrived and took the practice to Europe, where it became popular. Tobacco either smoked or smokeless is a silent, relentless killer that is responsible for the ill health of not only the consumer but also the family due to second – hand – smoke, especially for young children and pregnant women, and loss of life at a younger age. Smoking cigarettes affects the respiratory system, the circulatory system, the reproductive system, the skin, and the eyes, and it increases the risk of many different cancers. Thus, Native to the Americas and used for centuries by indigenous peoples for specific ritualistic and medicinal purposes, the plant spread globally following European exploration in the 15th century.
“To combat the tobacco industry’s evolving tactics to hide the dangers of addiction, we must respond with clear education and strict policy actions. Prioritizing a tobacco-free world will reduce healthcare expenses, protect the environment, and prevent millions of premature deaths. This May 31, we should commit to a healthier, smoke-free future by exposing the traps of addiction.”
While initially misconstrued as a curative herb, industrialization in the 19th and 20th centuries turned tobacco into a mass-produced, aggressively marketed commercial commodity. Today, it exists in an alarming array of forms:
(a) Traditional Products: Cigarettes, cigars, bidis, and hookahs.Smokeless Tobacco: Chewing tobacco, snuff, gutka, and khaini.
(b) Modern Nicotine Delivery: E-cigarettes, vapes, and heated tobacco products.Tobacco continues to capture millions of users globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where regulations remain weak, despite decades of definitive scientific proof of its lethality.
(c) The Economic Paradox: Short-Term Gains vs. Long-Term Ruin: There is no denying that tobacco plays a complex role in the global economy. Major tobacco producing nations—including China, India, Brazil, the United States, Indonesia, and Zimbabwe—generate billions of dollars annually in tax revenues, agricultural exports, and retail employment. For many rural communities, tobacco farming is a primary livelihood. However, a closer look reveals a staggering economic illusion as it is linked with global healthcare systems. Statistics says, tobacco kills more than 8 million people every year and out of these 1.2 million are non-smokers dying from involuntary exposure to second-hand smoke. It is observed that the billions spent on treating tobacco-related cancers, strokes, and respiratory illnesses, combined with the massive loss of workforce productivity due to premature death, ultimately drains national economies far more than the industry contributes for the nation.
(d) The Core Medical Reality: How Tobacco Ravages The Body?
Tobacco smoke is a toxic cocktail of thousands of chemicals, dozens of which are known carcinogens. The addictive engine behind it all is nicotine, which alters brain chemistry to ensure long-term dependence.
(e) The Oncology: Tobacco is the leading cause of lung cancer worldwide and is directly linked to cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, pancreas, and bladder. Smokeless tobacco drives a disproportionate number of oral cancer cases, particularly in South Asia.
(f) Cardiovascular, Respiratory Destruction: It has been reported by researchers that smoking damages blood vessels, spiking the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Simultaneously, smoking destroys lung tissue, causing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.
(g) Maternal, Pediatric Risk: It has been reported that Tobacco use during pregnancy leads to tragic outcomes, including miscarriage, premature birth, and low birth weight. Further, children exposed to second-hand smoke face heightened risks of severe asthma and respiratory infections.
The defining battle of tobacco control in 2026 is no longer just about traditional cigarettes; it is about the modern reinvention of nicotine.The tobacco industry has actively redesigned its products to look sleek, high-tech, and fashionable. By utilizing bright packaging, youth-centric digital marketing, and thousands of appealing candy and fruit flavors, vapes and e-cigarettes are creating a massive new generation of nicotine addicts. The 2026 theme explicitly demands that we “unmask” these products. They are not harmless alternatives; they are highly addictive delivery systems designed to hook adolescents early. Multi-layered strategy from all sectors of society is required to eradicate the global tobacco epidemic. Governments Enact stricter tobacco control policies aligned with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). This includes imposing higher sin taxes, implementing plain packaging laws, banning all forms of digital advertising, and enforcing strict bans on smoking in public places.Schools & Families De-glamorize nicotine use.
Educators and parents must have open, informed conversations with adolescents about the hidden dangers of vaping and modern tobacco products. The healthcare Providers Proactively provide counseling, affordable cessation tools, and psychological support systems to help current users successfully quit smoking. There are about 120 million active smokers in India and they constitute approximately 12% of worldwide smokers. Before cigarettes were manufactured smoking was done with chillums or pipes. Hookah smoking is still prevalent in villages where the smoke passes through a water container before inhalation. Smokeless tobacco is more commonly used in India than cigarette or bidis (tobacco rolled in leaf).It is concluded that World No Tobacco Day 2026 is far more than a date on a calendar; it is a collective defense of global public health. While the tobacco industry continues to innovate new ways to mask the deadly reality of addiction, our response must be absolute clarity, education, and unyielding policy action. Choosing a tobacco-free world is a choice to lower healthcare costs, clean our environment, and save millions of families from the grief of premature loss. This May 31, let us choose health, unmask the trap of addiction, and commit to a cleaner, safer, and smoke-free future.
(Mumina Khan is Research Scholar at National Chung University, Taiwan and Dr Bilal A Bhat Professor Statistics at SKUAST Kashmir. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the authors and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
