Govt mulling plans to ban Tobacco products

Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad is in mood of waging the “JIHAD” against the tobacco use after a report of the first Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS)-India declared India as the World’s 2^nd largest tobacco consumer. Health Minister also shared that the ministry is working on the modalities of slowly, bringing the strict regulation in tobacco cultivation, as still there are lot many livelihood are directly dependent on tobacco and thus the famers cannot be endangered, but issues a stern warning that, indefinitely we can’t tolerate a public health hazard in the name of protecting livelihoods. GATS India provides information on both, tobacco smoking and use of smokeless tobacco along with varied dimensions of tobacco use including use of different tobacco products, frequency of use, age at the time of initiation and the like. Additionally the report throws light on the other aspects of tobacco use like, exposure to second-hand smoke; cessation; the economies of tobacco; exposure to media messages on tobacco use; and knowledge of health impact of tobacco use. The Adult Tobacco Survey (ATS) is an important component of the country's comprehensive tobacco control programme and reflects an efficient and systematic surveillance mechanism to monitor the tobacco epidemic through collection of baseline data and study of key tobacco control indicators. GATS also found that teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17 years buy tobacoo from stores and 1 in every 3 adults in India smokes or chews tobacco and second-hand smoke remains a big problem in the country. The survey, covering 76,000 households from across the country, has also indicated that women smokers in India light up more cigarettes daily than men who smoke, although the use of tobacco is higher in men than women. Public health experts say around 196 million men and 77 million women are tobacco users in India in this present scenario. An estimated 274.9 million Indians consume tobacco, the first Global Adult Tobacco Survey said. Nearly 0.9 million tobacco-related deaths occur in India annually as compared to 5.5 million world wide. Eight to ten lakh persons die of tobacco related diseases every year and this reflects a higher mortality than the combined deaths resulting from other major diseases, such as tuberculosis, HIV AIDS and malaria. Further, the report revealed widespread tobacco use among the youth, with more than 15 percent of youngsters under 15 years of age, and nearly 25 percent of those between 15 to 17 years consuming tobacco. The figure for those in the 18 to 19 age bracket was 19 percent. The mean age of starting tobacco use was found to be 17.8 years. Surprisingly, while the mean age for boys was 18 years, for girls it was 17 years. Further, the report revealed widespread tobacco use among the youth, with more than 15 percent of youngsters under 15 years of age, and nearly 25 percent of those between 15 to 17 years consuming tobacco. The figure for those in the 18 to 19 age bracket was 19 percent. The mean age of starting tobacco use was found to be 17.8 years. Surprisingly, while the mean age for boys was 18 years, for girls it was 17 years. "As a result of stringent tobacco control initiatives by the developed countries, the tobacco industry has shifted its base to the developing country. Countries such as India are being targeted as potential markets," Azad said. The ban on smoking in public spaces too seemed to have little effect. In terms of region, the north eastern states have the highest number of tobacco users, with 19.3 percent people using tobacco in one form or the other. Mizoram tops the list with nearly 40 percent users, while Goa is at the bottom with 4.8 percent. The survey was conducted under the supervision of the health ministry by the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, an autonomous organisation of ministry. Technical assistance was provided by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and RTI International. Interviews of 69,296 adults (15 years and above) were conducted, with 33,767 men and 35,529 women. The sample size was of 72,000 households and the survey was carried out in 19 languages. Only, 3 out of 5 (61%) tobacco users notice the health warning on tobacco packages. For bringing the resolution to force and his words translate into action, the health ministry is seeking to collaborate with the agriculture ministry, and other Ministries like Rural Development, Labour dept. etc. to seek alternative crops for tobacco farmers.