39 per cent population of Chhattisgarh uses tobacco

     Raipur, January 30, 2023: A new study has revealed that a major 39 per cent of the population of Chhattisgarh have been using various forms of tobacco and even children are getting into its trap.

      “A total of 39.1 per cent of the population of Chhattisgarh have been using various forms of tobacco,” a study has revealed.

      More importantly “eight per cent of the children between the age group of 13-15 of Chhattisgarh are under the grip of tobacco consumption,” State Nodal officer for Tobacco Control Programme Dr Kamlesh Jain told a workshop here.

     To get rid of the situation, the state government has decided to have all educational institutions Tobacco free, Dr Jain said.

     To combat the situation, the state government has been organising workshops at state and district levels to control effectively tobacco consumption in the state, a state government release said.

      Looking into the prevailing grave situation in Chhattisgarh, the State level workshop was organised today by the state Health and Family Welfare Department and was attended by the Department officials and nodal officers from the Police, Health and School Education Departments to discuss the policy and the effective ways to control tobacco consumption in the state.

     Use of Tobacco is a major factor for cancer and other non-communicable diseases and is the single largest cause of preventable deaths worldwide causing premature death in half of its users, government reports said.

     A Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2017 has revealed a 28.6 per cent of adults aged about 15 years or about 26.60 crore people use some form of tobacco in India.

     From time to time governments have enacted laws to control the tobacco consumption.

     The Government of India has enacted in 2004 its comprehensive tobacco control law the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act 2003 (COTPA 2003) (prohibition of advertisement and regulation of trade and commerce, production, supply and distribution), to reduce tobacco use.

     This Act includes: (Section 4) Prohibition of smoking in public places; (Section 5) Prohibition of advertisement of cigarettes and other tobacco products; (Section 6) Prohibition of sale of cigarettes or other tobacco products to anyone below the age of 18 years and in a particular area; and (Section 7) Prohibition on trade and commerce in production, supply, and distribution of cigarettes and other tobacco products.