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How To Stop 3500 Tobacco Deaths Every Day In India?

Tobacco use is a major risk factor for Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs)-cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic lung disease and diabetes

When will India ban cigarettes for its future generations? Are we making sure that young people never start smoking ? Young kids, walking around with smokes in their mouth in streets and no has an answer how they're getting these smokes? Is India taking up any bold proposal, aiming to outlaw tobacco consumption for the next generation and moving the country to be tobacco free by next 5-10 years period. No one has any specific answer to these critical questions. According to a government of India estimate, smoking-attributable annual deaths were about 930,000, while the smokeless tobacco (SLT) attributable annual deaths were about 350,000 and both smoking and SLT together accounting for about 1,280,000 deaths per year or approximately 3500 deaths (most horrible ways people die, being short of breath, caused by tobacco) every day.

Tobacco use is a major risk factor for Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs)-cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic lung disease and diabetes. NCDs are estimated to account for 63% of all deaths in India and number is expected to rise further. Tobacco use is also a risk factor for infectious diseases- tuberculosis (TB). A total 20% of the global TB incidence is attributed to smoking. The percentage of death is higher (38%) among TB patients associated with Tobacco use. If one examines disease burden of only tuberculosis and cancer cases and deaths due to TB and cancer, government has no option left but to bring strong step to end tobacco epidemic in the country. Tobacco-related cancer is estimated to contribute 3.7 lakh cases which is 27.1% of the total cancer burden in 2020 and highest in the North-eastern region of the country. India reported a sharp 19% rise in tuberculosis cases in 2021 over the previous year. The total number of incident TB patients (new and relapse) notified during 2021 were 19, 33,381 as opposed to that of 16, 28,161 in 2020. In absolute numbers, the total number of estimated deaths from all forms of TB excluding HIV, for 2020 was 4.93 lakh, which was higher by 13 per cent than the 2019 estimate.

With a record 3500 tobacco deaths every day in India, business as usual without any strong steps will make the situation worse. Tobacco is the most harmful consumer product in history and there is no other option but it needs to be phased out. India must plan to go beyond assisting people to quit. With so much deaths from a known source, why India cannot adopt a similar law, which the New Zealand enacts this year, “anyone born after 2008 will not be able to buy cigarettes or tobacco products in their lifetime”. Cigarette, beedi and other Smokeless tobacco products are available each nook and corner of the country. Will government bring major reform to reduce the number of retail selling of these products by half at least in next 2-3 years. Without any further delay, government can bring a new plan to allow only the sale of tobacco products in each 30-40 kilometre radius by only approved licence shops. This strategy will substantially reduce the existing easy accessibility of tobacco products. This author don't think tax increases will have any further impact on tobacco consumption. It's really hard to quit and we feel if we did that, we'd be punishing those people who are addicted to cigarettes even more. Tax measures tend to place a higher burden on lower-income people, who are more likely to smoke. Government’s priority must be to bring new legislation to make sure young people never start smoking so it will be an offence to sell or supply tobacco products to new cohorts of youth. This is the only option, to aspire for a smoke-free India.


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