To draw public attention to the rapidly growing epidemic caused by tobacco use and the dangers arising from it, the member nations of the World Health Organization (WHO) decided to observe 31st May as World No Tobacco Day from the year 1988 onwards.
Every citizen has the right to live a healthy life. To prevent the harmful effects caused by tobacco consumption, collective efforts from all sections of society are essential. It is with this objective that World No Tobacco Day is observed every year.
There are various forms of tobacco consumption such as bidis, cigarettes, chewing tobacco, gutkha, snuff, hookah, hookah pipes, and even tobacco-based pastes. Regardless of the form in which tobacco enters the body, its physical and psychological effects are primarily caused by nicotine, the addictive substance present in tobacco.
Initially, nicotine may create a feeling of freshness and stimulation. However, over time it gradually impairs the functioning of almost all organs and systems of the body. The harmful effects of tobacco are not immediately visible; instead, it slowly damages the body from within. This poisonous habit eventually makes a person vulnerable to serious and life-threatening diseases.
Tobacco can cause cancer in almost any part of the body, with oral cancer being among the most common. Tobacco use also reduces digestive secretions, weakens eyesight, affects nerve cells and chromosomes, increases acidity, impairs muscular control, and raises the risk of diabetes.
Furthermore, tobacco causes irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, damages the urinary system, increases blood pressure, contributes to heart disease, and reduces overall efficiency and productivity. It also increases the likelihood of cancers of the esophagus, breast, pancreas, throat, tongue, uterus, urinary bladder, intestines, and kidneys.
According to statistics, more than five million people die every year worldwide due to tobacco consumption. The number of deaths caused by tobacco addiction exceeds those caused by HIV, cancer, and heart diseases combined in many regions.
Tobacco contains thousands of harmful chemicals. Studies indicate that tobacco products contain nearly 4,000 toxic chemical substances. When a person smokes a cigarette or bidi, poisonous gases such as carbon monoxide enter the lungs. Moreover, the smoke exhaled by smokers adversely affects people around them through passive smoking.
Doctors, psychiatrists, dentists, and numerous social service organizations can play a significant role in reducing tobacco consumption. Every year, the World Health Organization adopts a specific theme to highlight the seriousness of this global health issue.
To curb tobacco addiction, the WHO has issued several guidelines. The Government of India also implemented a nationwide ban on gutkha in 2018. In Maharashtra, the Food and Civil Supplies Department had already prohibited the manufacture and sale of tobacco products several years earlier. However, the lack of an effective ban on consumption has limited the impact of these measures.
Under public health regulations, the production and sale of gutkha and pan masala containing tobacco have been prohibited. Nevertheless, effective enforcement of these laws remains essential.
To transform the vision of a Tobacco-Free World, Tobacco-Free Maharashtra, and Tobacco-Free India into reality, the contribution of ordinary citizens, voluntary organizations, healthcare professionals, and the Medical Wing of Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya will be extremely important.
Let us all commit ourselves on this World No Tobacco Day, 31st May, to actively participate in this movement and work together toward building a healthier, addiction-free society.
– BrahmaKumar Yogendra Bhai
(Maharashtra Gramin Bank Officer)
Recipient of the “Rashtrapita Mahatma Gandhi State-Level De-Addiction Service Award”
Government of Maharashtra
Author: Vaibhav Ghate
Vaibhav Ghate Nanded Dist Reports.mobile no :-7972118734
