Tobacco use in India

What has the government done to curb Tobacco use?

The usage of Tobacco in India is very common especially in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand Orissa etc. Smoking and Chewing tobacco has been increasing among youngsters in India which leads to various health risks. Disagreement between the Government and companies who sells tobacco products has been taking place regarding the health risks.

Different types of tobacco used by people in India

For centuries people of India has been chewing Tobacco but it was limited to only Tobacco leaves and that was not considered to be much harmful, but later products made of tobacco started spreading in the market and around 4000 chemicals was used in these which causes serious health problems. Nicotine is highly used in tobacco products and people get addicted to it very easily. Khaini, Ghutka, Paan with tobacco, paan masala, mawa, mishri these are the kinds of tobacco used for chewing. The tobacco leaves are first dried and then crushed, and then later it is mixed with slaked lime and chewed as a quid. Beedis, Ciagrette and cigars, Chillum, Hookah, and chutta smoking and reverse chutta smoking are the tobaccos used for smoking.

Effects of using tobacco

A lot of debate is going on regarding whether tobacco consumption is harmful or not. In 2016 Supreme Court requested Tobacco Companies like Indian Tobacco Company (ITC), Godfrey Phillips Indian limited, Kothari products etc. to comply with the new government rules regarding graphic health warnings that will cover 85% of all cigarette packs but the companies did not accept the proposal. Government also urged to ban the advertisement of tobacco products.

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) monograph, there is sufficient evidence in humans that tobacco smoking causes cancer of the lung, oral cavity, naso-, oro- and hypo-pharynx, nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses, larynx, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, kidney (body and pelvis), ureter, urinary bladder, uterine cervix and bone marrow (myeloid leukemia).

In India 1 million people die every year because of consuming tobacco. According to Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) mostly from 15 years of age tobacco is used by the people. It is more prevalent among men than women. In rural areas most of the women chew tobaccos every day. The government also stands to gain because of its demand, nearly 45% of the people in India use tobacco.

Assessment

Government has increased taxation on the products but people are so addicted to it that they are willing to spend more on them making them a form of conspicuous goods. Mass Media in India still hasn’t taken into account the psychological impact smoking has on the populace.  The Age limit should be imposed by the government for buying these products. Government must act as a watchdog over these companies so that they do not sell tobacco products to youngsters. It is very difficult to stop those people who have already adopted habits of chewing and smoking tobacco but if the packing of these products is unattractive, people will hesitate to buy such products. Education can also play a major role to curb tobacco consumption and there should be proper penalty or fines on people for spitting on roads or any public places.