The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2016 states that around 19 per cent males smoke tobacco in MP while the numbers of women habitual of smoking is just 0.8 per cent. Over 38 per cent males in the State use tobacco in smokeless form (gutka, kahini and others) while only 16.8 per cent females use tobacco in smokeless form, said Voice of Tobacco Victims (VoTV) patron Dr lalit Shrivastava.
“When we are aware what causes 90% of oral cancers and the law is there to ban these chewing tobacco products in twin packs, then what is stopping the enforcementIJ,” questioned Dr TP Sahoo, another VoTV patron from MP.
Close to 90 per cent of oral cancers can be prevented if the governments implement the Supreme Court’s order which bans chewing tobacco being sold rampantly in twin packs, claim experts from Madhya Pradesh on the occasion of World Cancer Day.
Interestingly the MP was first among states to ban chewing tobacco in 2012 but as elsewhere in the state, the paan masala is still widely available with the add on pouches of tobacco in the state with authorities playing mute spectator.
The Indian Council Medical Research (ICMR) estimates, India will have more than 17.3 lakh new cancer cases and more than 8.8 lakh deaths due to cancer by 2020.
Tobacco is the most preventable cause of death. Ninety per cent of oral cancers and 40 per cent of all cancers are caused due to tobacco use. With these alarming numbers, the Supreme Court on September 23, 2016 had imposed ban on sale of tobacco in twin-packs like gutka, tobacco, pan masala, khaini etc. With no effective enforcement of this order, head and neck cancer cases on constant rise.