Passive smoking snuffs out at  least one million lives every year

We must work on strategies to make tobacco products out of the reach of people in the larger interest of the society and also save them as well as women and kids from exposure to second-hand smoke at home, work and in public places. Exposure to tobacco, either active or passive, is associated with not only health but also financial burden on the consumer, family, economy and ultimately the nation. In the case of women, tobacco use has all the more serious gender-related health complications like breast cancer, reproductive related health ailments besides its adverse impact on unborn babies. Contrary to the general perception, unfortunately tobacco consumption is widely prevalent among the fair sex in India. I remember, as a child when I used to visit my village, I saw many women, cutting across economic strata, engaged in consumption of a range of tobacco products. Beedi is particularly more common. It is just the tip of the iceberg. More and more women, particularly the younger generation, are indulging into smoking habits, viewing it as a fashion symbol. In this context, I would like to share an observation made by a recent study published in the journal ‘Breast Cancer Research,’ according to which, smoking is associated with a significantly increased risk of breast cancer, especially in those women who started smoking during adolescence or who have a family history of the disease. Spiralling rise in tobacco consumption by girls and women is directly linked to aggressive marketing strategies adopted by tobacco companies that increasingly target this group, particularly in low-income and middle income countries like India. In a bid to earn quick bucks, players in the sector are not even sparing small children as they target them by selling candies alongside tobacco products.

The Government must work on strategies to make these products out of the reach of people in the larger interest of the society; and also save them as well as women from exposure to second-hand smoke at home, work and in public places. First, it can be done through major amendments in the Cigarettes & Other Tobacco Products Act of Government of India (COTPA) having provisions such as ban on designated smoking zones that will help in cutting down tobacco consumption among the public and thus suffering from several ill effects of tobacco. In this regard, regular counselling is needed. Once the children become addicted to tobacco products like gutkha, khaini or cigarettes, it becomes difficult for them to shun the habit. While awareness and education of this vulnerable group is mandatory, stringent measures should be taken to ensure that such sin goods are not sold to the children. The Government must ensure that the cigarettes and other tobacco items should be out of the immediate eye contact of children when they purchase their candies in the shops. This gap in COTPA that allows ‘point of sale’ advertising and product displays, is being blatantly misused by tobacco players to target children and youth; so, this gap must be plugged immediately. At least we can do this much for our younger generation. The Government also needs to scrutinise and keep a tab on what is being shown in films; and if tobacco is promoted by celebrity film stars and cricketers. Media, on its part, can also play a major role in the campaign to stop the use of tobacco. The policymakers and authorities cannot afford to take their eye off the health hazards that tobacco is causing on its

vulnerable and productive citizens before the epidemic becomes uncontrollable. After all, a stitch in time saves nine.

(The writer is Additional Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, DR BRAIRCH, AIIMS, Delhi. The views expressed are personal.)