‘ Life is too short. Don’t cut it shorter by smoking.’
The era of the 21st century witnessed a plethora of advancements in every domain of life. The world is pacing at a magnitude higher than what is anticipated. Every human being seeks to reap the maximum of the materialistic gains from these advancements. But at the same time, it brings an aura of stress, anxiety, and depression with it. One starts feeling the vacuum in their lives and seeks someone's moral rapport but when in this fast-moving world he/she fails to bridge that lacunae of loneliness, the person thinks to explore for an escape out of it by switching on to the tobacco products which are a baneful jumbo under the veneer of short term pleasures. In the short period, these products may provide us a sense of relief but have umpteen ramifications on our mental and physical well-being in the long run.
Tobacco is one of the major causes of death and disease in the world today. As per the World Health Organisation( WHO) statistics, tobacco kills up to half of its users. It is responsible for killing more than 8 million people each year and more than 7 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 1.2 million people succumbed due to exposure to second-hand smoke. As per the Global Adult Tobacco Survey reports- India (GATS2), India abodes over 27 crore tobacco users. Approximately 3500 people, that is about 2-3 people per minute, lose their lives due to tobacco consumption in India. Tobacco is also a risk factor for various infectious diseases-Tuberculosis and lower respiratory infections. It also leads to the development of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, lung disease, diabetes. And with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which poses a severe threat to our lungs, it just added fuel to fire. Apart from affecting us physically, it impairs us mentally debarring our neurons to function and respond efficiently. It also numbs our brain’s capacity to think and work properly.
Tobacco addiction is like a labyrinth. The deeper you go, the more difficult you find yourself to get out of it. But as the age-old maxim goes, ‘ Every lock in this world has a key to unlock it. Similarly, every problem has a solution enveloped in it'. Many organizations are working at international, national, and local levels that are constantly working day and night to help the individuals lay off their smoking addiction.
When we talk about the Government’s stance on this, a question usually pops up in our mind that if the consumption of tobacco is so detrimental for our health and also debilitates the strong manpower of our country, then why does the government of our country don’t even ban the tobacco products? However simple it may sound, it is not when talked about its viability. A myriad of problems may come into existence if the government takes this action. If we go about the production of tobacco in the world, India stands at No.2 pointing to the fact that this sector harbors many of the people’s livelihoods ranging from farmers to other associated people in the entire process and the ban of which can render about 50-60 lakh farmers unemployed and can push out about 4-5 crore people working in the sector out of the mainstream. Another dire threat it can pose is the surge in the instances of black marketing of tobacco products in the economy. Moreover, the GDP of an economy will suffer a huge setback.
But this does not mean at all that the Government cannot do anything for the Anti-tobacco campaign. The law of our country has embedded scores of powers in the government of our country to diminish any anti-social aspect of the society. A few of the actions could include making the access of tobacco products quite difficult by making the requirement of a license and proper protocol for the ones who want to deal in the tobacco products. An aggressive taxation policy should be followed to make it highly impossible for the people to afford it but at the same time the absence of any loopholes should be considered well otherwise the very purpose of this policy would get defeated and people may start searching for the tobacco products via the illegitimate channels. Display of tobacco products should be strictly prohibited in advertisements and movies and anyone violating the laws should be dealt with strict punitive actions
At the individual level and society in general, what I strongly believe is that in addition to that, to have a congruous way out from this maze can be identifying the root cause of the problem. Why do individuals actually feel the need to smoke? Can’t we provide some alternatives to the tobacco products by replacing them with other healthy products for example-Nicotine Gums to cite? More and more efforts should be put in through the awareness campaigns run by the school and college students. Second-hand smoking should be highly discouraged as it also constitutes a very important factor when it comes to the consequences of tobacco consumption.
As it is widely experienced, the children often consider the elders of their families to be their tutelage and often try to emulate them. So if from the very beginning, a seed of loathsome perception towards tobacco products is sown in their minds, then they will dither to follow this herculean avenue and will also let others decipher the gravity of the consequences of being a smoker. Children with such a mentality will grow up into very responsible and intelligent citizens who will possess the ability to weigh the positives and negatives of their actions. And as we all know, the Youth of a country is considered the biggest strength in the nation-building process and ultimately they will play a mammoth task in laying a strong foundation for the country to prosper and taking it to greater heights. Ultimately, every one of us should take the onus on ourselves to invent ways to discourage people from consuming tobacco in our neighbors or working place. If we all exhibit perseverance and determination towards this campaign, then definitely we can make our country a better place to live in devoid of any anti-social elements.
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