Tobacco consumption in all forms poses a serious threat to human lives. Scientific evidence has established that exposure to tobacco smoke causes disease, disability and death. It is also said that every third oral cancer case is due to tobacco consumption. In order to raise awareness on the deadly effects of tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure, World Health Organisation (WHO) every year observes World No Tobacco Day May 31. Ahead of this day, Orissa POST caught up with some youth and asked them their views on the tobacco menace.
Lalatendu Bhoi, a social activist from Cuttack, said, “There are many instances of families getting ruined by tobacco use. For low income families, the tobacco habit affects their lives in many ways. Tobacco use not only causes the premature death of a person, but the money spent on treating illness caused by tobacco use adversely affects the family finances.”
Citing the rising cases of tobacco abuse, he said, “In some districts of Odisha, kids are engaged in tobacco manufacturing units and they get exposed to the product leaving them addicted to it. These children are vulnerable to ‘green tobacco sickness,’ which is caused by nicotine that is absorbed through the skin from the handling of wet tobacco leaves especially in bidi-making units.”
Often it is seen that people who are addicted to tobacco products like cigarette and gutka send their kids to the shops to buy these products. This generates curiosity among the children, and they begin to use the product and gradually get addicted to it, said Lalatendu.
Kiranbala Barik is a homeopathic doctor from Pipili in Puri district. She said people from the poorer sections of society account for a significant number of tobacco addicts. “People who work as labourers are prone to tobacco consumption. As it becomes difficult for them to quit the habit, they end up making their families suffer. I have seen labourers in my village spend half their wages on tobacco causing distress to their families. They cause discord in the family when they fail to get money to buy tobacco products. One person in my village is suffering from oral cancer and his wife is collecting money for a surgery. But there is no guarantee of a complete cure from the disease,” said Kiranbala, adding that there should be a complete ban on the sale of tobacco products.
According to Dillip Kumar Parida, head of the department, Oncology and Radiation, AIIMS, “When Swachh Abhiyan campaign was launched in India, people took it upon themselves to keep their surroundings clean. The same applies to tobacco abuse. If the government starts talking about the harmful effects of smoking across all mediums and imposes a complete ban on tobacco products, the impact will surely be seen. Besides, the government should strictly enforce the ban on the sale of tobacco products near schools to keep them out of students’ reach.”
Parida continued: “Every child has two role models in his life. One in his immediate family and the other someone from the outside world, including celebrities like sportspersons or movie stars, for example. The kids tend to emulate their role models. Therefore, it is important that these role models set an example for the children by not promoting tobacco products.”
BRATATI BARAL, OP