Chhattisgarh Health and Family Welfare Minister T.S. Singh Deo on Monday said tobacco not only affects the person consuming it but also people in the vicinity. There is a need to create awareness about this.
He was holding a discussion with officials of Auckland University, New Zealand. The team led by him had detailed discussion with experts on the challenges facing in making the state tobacco free and towards controlling tobacco products.
He said the world will observe ‘World No Tobacco Day’ on May 31. Continuous efforts are being made to spread awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco consumption on health.
The Secretary, Health Department, Prasanna R, said the burden on the economy due to the increasing number of tobacco patients was also discussed, an official statement said.
University officials said that compared to the income earned from tobacco products, more money is spent on the diseases caused by it. The New Zealand government has made a concrete policy to ban tobacco.
With the target to create a smoke free generation, it has been made illegal for anyone born on or after 2009 to use/consume/sell tobacco products. The target is to make New Zealand a smoke-free generation by 2025.
