Tobacco use is the single largest cause of preventable deaths and illness worldwide and it kills half of its users prematurely, mostly in their most reproductive age. Tobacco use is a major risk factor for
Cancer, Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD),
Diabetes, Chronic Lung Disease,
Stroke, Infertility,
Blindness, Tuberculosis (TB), Oral Cavities etc.
There are mainly two forms of tobacco – Smoking Tobacco and Smokeless Tobacco. Cigarettes, bidi, hookah are smoking tobacco whereas khaini, zarda, gutkha etc. are smokeless tobacco.
According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (2016-17), 28.6% of adults (15 year and above) in India use tobacco, overall there are about 27 crore tobacco users: 20 crore of them smokeless tobacco users, 10 crore smokers and 3.2 crore use smoking as well as smokeless tobacco. The prevalence of tobacco use is highest in Tripura (64.5%) followed by Mizoram (58.7%) and Manipur (55.1%).
As per the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS), 2009, 14.6% of students in India aged between 13 to 15 years use tobacco. GYTS is a nationally representative school-based survey of students in grades associated with age 13 to 15 years.
In India, over 13.00 lakh people die from tobacco use every year, i.e. about 3500 people die in India everyday due to tobacco use. Exposure to Second-hand Smoke (SHS) or passive smoking causes numerous health problems in infants, children and adults including more frequent and severe asthma attacks, respiratory infections, ear infections, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), coronary heart disease, stroke, lung cancer etc.
Spitting of tobacco/tobacco products is also a public health hazard, as it may lead to spread of swine flu, pneumonia, gastro-intestinal diseases, creating a potential risk of transmission of Tuberculosis as Tuberculosis Bacilli can survive in spit for an entire day or nuisance to the people in general.
Tobacco Control Efforts:
The Government of India enacted its comprehensive tobacco control law the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 (COTPA 2003) in 2004, with a view to make provisions to effect reduction in tobacco use. Various Rules were notified for effective regulation of tobacco products from time to time. These provided for prohibition of;
- Smoking in public places,
- Sales of tobacco products to and by minors,
- Sale of tobacco products within 100 yards of educational institutions and,
- Direct and indirect advertising and promotion of tobacco products.
