The Hydra: Tobacco continues to drag at millions of lives

EMN
Dimapur, May 28

By 2030, tobacco will be killing at least 8 million people every year. Tobacco is a modern scourge that boasts of some of the deadliest diseases from a single source. Some of the diseases that tobacco inflicts on a user include Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (also called COPD), lung cancer, heart attacks, strokes, chronic heart diseases, emphysema, and a variety of cancers.
Every year on May 31, the World Health Organization and its healthcare partners across the world mark World No Tobacco Day. The day highlights the health risks associated with the use of tobacco, and advocates implementing effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption.
The theme for this year’s World No Tobacco Day is “Stop illicit trade of tobacco product”. The theme represents the World Health Organization’s call to countries to work together to end the illicit trade of tobacco and tobacco products.
Stating the cause and objectives that the day hopes to attain, the Directorate of Health & Family Welfare of Nagaland issued a press release on Thursday.
“From many angles, the illicit trade of tobacco products is a major global concern, including health, legal and economic, governance and corruption. It aims to keep constant watch on the companies involved in the sell, purchase or advertisements of tobacco or its products to enhance the consumption of their products,” the Health & Family Welfare department stated.
The health department of the state is also observing World No Tobacco Day on May 30 in the Secretariat’s conference hall in Kohima town.
The department stated in its press release: “It is very necessary to ban or stop the use of tobacco on global basis as it leads to many illnesses like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (also called COPD), lung cancer, heart attacks, strokes, chronic heart diseases, emphysema, variety of cancers and etc. Tobacco can be used in many forms such as cigarettes, cigars, bidis, creamy snuff (tooth paste), kreteks, pipes, gutkha, chewing tobacco, hand rolling tobacco, snuff, water pipes, snus and many more”.
Nicotine addiction is “very bad for health” and it is lethal and known as a brain “wanting” disease which can never be cured. However, the department stated, it can be fully arrested. “It binds the brain dopamine pathways just like other illegal drugs, meth, alcohol, heroin and etc. It prepares the brain to send false message about the need of nicotine to the body as necessary as other survival activities like eating and drinking food and liquids,” the department stated.
The Health department explained further that the ‘global tobacco epidemic’ kills nearly 6 million people each year, of which more than 600 000 are non-smokers dying from breathing second-hand smoke.
“Unless we act, the epidemic will kill more than 8 million people every year by 2030. More than 80% of these preventable deaths will be among people living in low-and middle-income countries,” the department stated in caution.
“We can control around 100 million of premature deaths of people by reducing the tobacco use by 20-25% by 2020 which is possible by applying all the anti-smoking efforts and measures such as banning the TV or radio advertising for tobacco, launching new and effective public awareness campaigns displaying dangers and necessity to stop smoking in the public places”.
According to the department, the government ‘of each and every country’ requires to take ‘some’ effective measures at the regional and national levels to reduce the effect of tobacco and the effect from its use.
“It can be done by applying some anti-smoking policies such as raising the tobacco taxes, limiting the sale, purchase, advertisement, promotion and sponsorship of the tobacco or its products, organizing public health checkup camps to evaluate the dangers of smoking and so many,” the department said.

Citizens’ Factfile: Tobacco and the Impending Doom
Tobacco use in Nagaland
• Tobacco consumption at 57%
• Male tobacco users at 68%
• Female tobacco users at 28%
• School children smoking at 37%
• Male school children at 55%
• Female school children at 18%
• School children using smokeless tobacco at 41%
• Male school children using smokeless tobacco at 50%
• Female school children using smokeless tobacco at 33%
Consumption: Tobacco use is rising in India
There are almost 275 million tobacco users in India.
• Among adults (age 15+), over one-third (35%) of the population use tobacco products, with 48% of males and 20% of females using some form of tobacco.
• Among youth (age 13-15), 4% smoke cigarettes (boys 5%; girls 2%).
• Almost 12% of youth use other types of tobacco products (boys 14%; girls 8.5%).
• Bidis are the most popular tobacco product used. Bidis comprise 48% of the tobacco market, chewing tobacco at 38% and cigarettes at 14%.
Health Consequences
Tobacco use is deadly. Smoking kills up to half of all lifetime users.
• Each year tobacco use kills about 1 million Indians.
• Bidi and cigarette smokers die 6 to 10 years earlier than their non-smoking counterparts.
• If current trends continue, tobacco will account for 13% of all deaths by 2020.
• 27% of youth (age 13-15) are exposed to second-hand smoke at home, while 40% of youth are exposed to second-hand smoke in public places.
Cost to Society
Tobacco exacts a high cost on society.
• The total cost of tobacco use in 2004 was estimated at 1.7 billion USD—not including premature mortality costs.
• In 2004, direct healthcare costs attributable to tobacco reached 1.2 billion USD, 4.7% of India’s total national healthcare expenditure.
• In 2004, approximately 411 million USD was lost in income due to tobacco-related work absenteeism.
• Smoking also results in costs associated with fire damage and damage to the environment from the manufacturing and packaging of tobacco products.