AIIMS New Delhi is Tobacco Free now the MISSION is Tobacco Free India-Dr.Amrinder Singh Malhi

Tobacco :  Enemy of the Nation

New Delhi|HL

It is just to sensitize our coming generations towards the biggest enemy of any nation – tobacco. It is never too late for good holy work. This is right time to draw the attention of all towards this third most addictive substance in the world. It is fact that around 2000 deaths / day is due to consumption of tobacco in our country.

Tobacco not only causes death of our near and dear ones, but also snatches the bank balance and property of sufferer. In other words tobacco is more dangerous than our enemy who only murder us. The person who consume  tobacco or its products lost his bank balance, home, property and after lot of suffering lost his life also. 

Govt is finding income in the sale of tobacco, but nation loses many times the money earned in the form of out of pocket expenditure, chronic sufferings and death of the citizens. 

Life is precious, but Govt needs scientific proof of to prove hazards of tobacco to ban it completely. World Health Organization already declared that 90 % of oral cancers is due to consumption of tobacco. Around 18 different cancers are associated with tobacco consumption. Many life style diseases are associated with it. Even tobacco is major cause of infertility, Gangrene, blindness, coronary artery diseases. So our country cannot shift the burden of proof to the victims of tobacco. People cannot offer to be the GUINEA PIGS to prove lethal effects for our Govt to act. 

Govt is giving free treatment to eligible people ( about 5 lack per year per family under) Ayushman Bharat Scheme. More than 40 percent of our population is covered under this scheme in our country. Recently our respected prime minister had given a cheque to ONE CRORTH BENEFICIARY of our country under this scheme. It is excellent poor people’s welfare health scheme at the cost of our tax. Nobody has any objection about it. But now days we find that more than 70 percent beneficiaries of Ayushman Bharat Scheme are tobacco addicts. Due to tobacco related diseases they takes our 5 lack per year per family. Moreover tobacco addicts now are fearless as they are insured by this scheme of our tax. So it has been requested to Govt and Non Tobacco Addicts to go deep into matter and calculate the damages incurred in it. 

Our country is developing one and in the race to become developed one. But such a huge country with such a huge population of tobacco addicts do not allow us to become developed one. Tobacco addicts are dragging our country behind at all aspects. 

A simple example : In a office when one tobacco addict need to consume tobacco, he would invite other fellow addicts for same – They gather for unofficial mini tobacco break of 10—15 minutes. If ten tobacco addicts make two such breaks then total ( 15 × 2 * 10 = 300) 300 minutes or 5 productive office hours are lost, causing loss of country’s productivity. 

Another Simple Example : Tobacco addict father ask his son to buy tobacco for him. His son notices that father doesn’t withstand lack of tobacco even for few minutes. It may give rise to curiosity in son about nature of tobacco leads to first taste. As we know that tobacco is third most addicting substance in the world. After its first exposure there is 30 % chance that a person will taste / smoke it second time. So going to our story – Son may taste tobacco second time and soon. Thereafter son needs extra money for this extra adventure and irresistible craving – which may make him SMALL THIEF and steal only small amount of money from home. Then son finds other friends of same hobby. Among these one of the friends may be ALCOHOLIC – leads the team towards alcohol. Among them one is BIG THIEF – involves others to fulfill their desires of addiction. One day father receives a call from police station to take his son after bail. A father did not understand how his smart, obedient son’s becomes BIG THIEF. His son’s new gifted character is a BONUS he gets with tobacco. So moral of the both of the above example is that – “Tobacco is damaging our country from roots which is not quantifiable in terms of money” 

There are three frequent queries from all tobacco addicts and other people:

1.  First Query – That old man has consume tobacco in his whole life – But still living a healthy life – all tobacco addicts makes this old man their role model and keep their addiction on. 

Answer to above query is – 

Our body metabolise each edible item differently as we all know “All human beings are different entity” 

So if three humans are consuming tobacco, then there body metabolise the nicotine and other products differently in them.  In first tobacco is metabolized fast – so body will get rid of it earlier. In second person it is metabolized little slower and third person is very slow metaboliser of tobacco or its contents. So in third person chances of hazards of tobacco especially cancer is more than second one. And that old man who is role model of tobacco addict is fast metaboliser of tobacco and its content. 

As we all know smoke of cigarette contain 7000—8000 chemicals, out of these 70 – 80 are carcinogenic like vinyl chloride, arsenic, nickel, cadmium, acetaldehyde, phenol, nitrosamines. 

2. Second query – That young man who did not consume tobacco in his life – become victim of cancer.. 

Answer to above query – 

As per WHO there are more than 250  proven, environmental carcinogens ( including vehicle smoke, pesticides etc) and out of these 110 are present at our workplace ( occupational). 

Simple innocent example – Many people are unaware that some groundnuts have fungal growth inside – which is Aflatoxin a proven carcinogen. 

So we are exposed to environmental carcinogens at each step. That young man may exposed to any of these and suffer from cancer accidently. 

So this doesn’t mean that one would do suicide by exposing himself to known carcinogen like tobacco and its products. 

3. Last and important query – Why Govt did not ban tobacco completely ? 

Answer – After recent corona lockdown there is some pressure on Govt to impose or extend ban on tobacco shops. But daily livelihood of at least 4 – 5 crores people are directly or indirectly depend upon tobacco industry. Moreover Govt has a illusion than sale of poison ( tobacco) is one of the major source of income. 

Before corona outbreak, it was believe that if Govt bans it completly then there would be chaos due to withdrawal symptoms and public would suffer in large. But during complete lockdown of 50 days when most of the tobacco addicts didn’t get tobacco, nothing such chaos happened. So keeping this in mind ( PILOT TOBACCO BAN ), in future we pray to God that “Govt may come out of illusion of income from the sale of this poison” and “Govt may impose  COMPLETE TOBACCO BAN with a strong will power”. It would be is a magnificent patriotic dream that we all should observe and believe to happen. 

Common Myth about tobacco consumption – That person suffers from cancer when he leaves tobacco. Fact is that tobacco products induce cancers by various mechanisms that needs years to develop in cancer. So it is said that “Chances of suffering from lung cancer in tobacco addict will be equal to that of non tobacco addicts after ten years of quitting tobacco”. So actually in that person, process of cancinogenesis starts few years back, but manifest later.

Important fact about Passive Smoking – Passive smoking is not only dangerous to smoker but also hazardous to person who inhales the smoke. If the person smokes at home or inside any premises, the smoke is deposited on the walls, chairs, tables and all objects in the room. Other person who exposed to these objects would be equally in danger to get tobacco induced diseases.

As we know that “Education is the defense of the nation”. Lastly some of the measures to curb hazards of tobacco and its consumption in society include regular education about hazards of tobacco and its products consumption, scientific methods to quit tobacco, making active anti-tobacco groups in colleges, office and schools etc.

So at last I want to convey our brothers and sisters of country is that – ” Quitting tobacco or help person to quit tobacco and its products is great nation’s service”