Today is the world Anti-Tobacco Day. This day is set apart to recall to our mind the harmful effects of tobacco. This day reminds us of the fact that tobacco takes away the lives of our near and dear ones. Let us say no to tobacco and spread the same message to save precious life that we have received from the Almighty.
Using any kind of tobacco product is unsafe, especially for kids, teens and young adults. We know for sure that so many young people between ages 13- 15 use tobacco products. Tobacco companies meanwhile, spend billions of dollars every year on marketing tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes and others.
Adolescents are the most vulnerable population to initiate tobacco use. It is now well established that most of the adult users of tobacco start using it in childhood and adolescence. Reports say, there has been a perceptible fall in smoking in the developed countries after realization of harmful effects of tobacco. The tobacco companies are now aggressively targeting their advertising strategies in the developing countries like India. The younger a person starts using tobacco products, the more likely he is to become dependent on nicotine. The tobacco industry uses this information to attract youth and young people to their products through ads and sponsorships in stores, online, in media and at cultural events.
In our cultural context most of the children learn from the peer group. It all begins with fun. By imitating elders and to prove oneself that I am grown up person, I can do it, and eventually young ones end up in addiction. It is a pity to see in most of our villages so many young boys fall prey to so many types of intoxicants. Many of our youth at young age develop cancerous symptoms.
Knowing the taste buds of the present youth, companies try to make the market and the products more attractive and more appealing to trap young people in different ways. Flavours in tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, make these products appealing to the kids and teens.
What can the State and communities do to control the intake of tobacco? We can work to limit tobacco product advertising. We can have science-based strategies to prevent and reduce tobacco use, like tobacco price increase, hard-hitting media campaigns, declaring tobacco free zone in and around schools, colleges and hospitals, licensing tobacco sellers, and limiting where tobacco products can be sold. We should provide barrier-free access to treatment proven to help people quit.
If everyone works together to keep our society’s health safe from the harms of tobacco use, we can move further toward a healthier, smoke- free world.
Jacob Hembrom