World No Tobacco Day

May 31st will be observed all over the world as “NO Tobacco day”. According to WHO, Tobacco use is an epidemic and ‘ the leading preventable cause of death in the world’. In the WHO report on the Global tobacco epidemic, 2008, it is stated that 100 million people died due to tobacco in the 20th century. And unless immediate action is taken, it is estimated that by year 2030, the annual death toll will be more than eight million, of which 80% will be in developing countries. In order to galvanize action against this epidemic, in May 2003, The WHO health assembly adopted the Framework convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) treaty. This treaty has been ratified by most nations and many Western countries have successfully brought a decline in the prevalence of smoking by issuing smoke-free laws.
The Indian Government , too , participated by passing the ‘The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act’ in May 2003. This act sought to prohibit smoking in public places, ban advertising of tobacco products, regulate nicotine and tar contents of products and issue health warnings . The Indian Government along with other anti-tobacco social groups also received funding from international philanthropic organizations to control tobacco use. Though there has been some progress in tobacco control, India faces several impediments in restricting and regulating tobacco usage. First of all, there is a diverse range of tobacco products available and the usage also varies by location and gender. Monitoring and surveying use of tobacco is one the biggest challenges. Only 20 % of tobacco consumed is in the form of manufactured cigarettes, while the rest are bidis, hookah, and smokeless forms such as snuff, gutka and pan masala. In rural areas, the largest consumption is in the form of raw tobacco leaves. Awareness of the health hazards caused by tobacco is another major issue. While health warnings are depicted on manufactured cigarettes, bidis and other smokeless tobaccos have not been targeted. Lobbying by the tobacco industry( especially bidis and pan masala) have also delayed the full implementation of the Act.
Tobacco control can be successful only if it is self-enforced and this can be brought about by the people only when they fully understand the danger of tobacco. It is imperative to have a program to train leaders who can work at the grass-root level to create awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco, implement prevention policies and help people who want to quit . The Government , on the other hand, must enforce a complete ban on advertising and sponsorship as well as raise taxes on products. The tobacco industry lobbyists and groups who oppose these policies must realize that the people of every nation have the right to life and right to good health which can be achieved through smoke-free environments.