PANAJI
As the world observed ‘No Tobacco Day’ on May 31, the State of Goa too witnessed awareness campaigns on the harmful effects of consuming tobacco, albeit most of them were virtual this year due to the ongoing pandemic. Speaking to The Goan on the importance of spreading awareness in the society, that consuming tobacco is like consuming death, Dr Amit Dias, assistant professor (DACP) in the department of Preventive and Social Medicine at Goa Medical College, stated that it is not on this one day in a year that people should remind themselves of not to consume tobacco, but it should be an everyday ritual as tobacco is a major killer.
“Every single day we need to ensure that we do not consume tobacco or any of its products like gutakha, bidi or cigarettes. Tobacco kills 50 per cent of the people who consume it. However, as one sees, the tobacco lobby is very strong and the companies try to push their limits to ensure that people, especially the youth, consume their products and get addicted to them,” says Dr Dias.
Commenting on this year’s theme ‘Quit tobacco to be a winner’, Dr Dias explains that due to the pandemic and its impact on the breathing and lung capacity, it is very relevant that smokers and tobacco consumers should quit their habit immediately, if they want to save themselves. “Quitters are winners, and we must encourage people to quit. These pandemic times make it relevant that people quit tobacco, if they want to live,” said Dr Dias who has taken up the ‘No Tobacco’ campaign in the State for the past couple of years, especially among schools and colleges.
Dr Dias asserts that fighting tobacco is a joint effort and the department of education plays an important role. “Schools should be proactive in ensuring that every child is vaccinated with the knowledge to prevent the first curious tobacco experiment. Prevention is always better than cure,” he states, adding, “The facts are startling. Tobacco causes 80,000 deaths globally every year. Over 10 lakhs die from exposure to second-hand smoke each year. India has around 27 crore of tobacco users and accounts for around 12 % of the world's smokers.”
Smoking in public places was prohibited from October 2002 across India. Smokeless tobacco is more prevalent than cigarettes or bidis in India and we need to pay equal attention to it, feels Dr Dias.
“Vendors sell cigarettes and bidis via single stick, making these products cheap for the youth and also ensuring that they do not see the images of cancer on the pack, as the box is thrown in the dust bin before selling single sticks. Selling single cigarettes should be stopped. Selling these products outside educational institutes, helps addicting youth, through point-of-sale advertising gimmicks. ‘World No Tobacco Day’ is crucial to create awareness on harmful effects of tobacco use and remind everyone of the role they play,” concludes Dr Dias
