Rayees Ahmad Kumar
World No Tobacco Day, observed on May 31 each year, was first introduced in 1987 by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise awareness about the health hazards of tobacco use and to advocate for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption. Despite various laws at both national and state levels, the unchecked and open use of tobacco in public places remains a serious concern.
From hospitals to educational institutions, from hotels to public transport, smoking and tobacco use continue unabated. It is not uncommon to find drivers and conductors smoking inside buses, or diners lighting cigarettes in restaurants — all without regard for the harm caused to others. Such reckless behavior not only violates public health norms but also exposes non-smokers to dangerous secondhand smoke.
Historically, the use of tobacco dates back to 1492 when Christopher Columbus and his crew observed the locals of the Tobago island using tobacco leaves for pleasure. Since then, tobacco use has spread across the globe, evolving into a multi-billion-dollar industry — at the cost of millions of lives.
Scientific research has revealed alarming facts: tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, including at least 43 known carcinogens such as polycyclic hydrocarbons. It also includes harmful substances like ammonia, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide — the latter reducing the oxygen-carrying capacity of hemoglobin in the blood. The most harmful component, nicotine, is a highly addictive chemical that disrupts the nervous system, increases heart rate, and causes high blood pressure. Tar in tobacco smoke is directly linked to lung cancer, making smokers up to ten times more likely to die from it than non-smokers. Smoking during pregnancy also poses risks such as premature birth and low birth weight.
Worse still, passive smoking — involuntary inhalation of smoke by non-smokers — places innocent people at serious risk. This highlights the urgent need to strictly prohibit smoking in public areas. While laws exist, their poor enforcement often emboldens violators. Visuals of hookah sessions outside shops or cigarette-smoking drivers ferrying dozens of passengers are not rare. Law enforcement agencies must take these violations seriously to protect public health.
Tobacco addiction has also gripped the youth. Many students waste their parents’ hard-earned money on expensive cigarette packs, ignoring the bold health warnings printed on them. More than just a personal habit, smoking in public spaces becomes a threat to everyone’s health.
Seminars, awareness drives, and campaigns are organized every year on No Tobacco Day. However, these efforts need to be consistent and reinforced at the grassroots level. Teachers, religious leaders, and community activists can play a key role in discouraging the use of tobacco and related products like gutkha, paan, nevla, and other smokeless tobacco variants.
In schools, morning assemblies can become platforms to spread awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco. Similarly, health institutions can use patient outreach to educate people about the long-term consequences of tobacco use.
Rather than shaming or hating smokers, society must take a compassionate approach — educating them about the risks and helping them quit. A civic sense must be instilled across all age groups to discourage smoking in public and to restrict the sale of tobacco near schools, markets, and places with high footfall.
Ultimately, safeguarding public health from the dangers of tobacco requires a united front — strong laws, strict enforcement, widespread awareness, and community-level action. The time to act is now.
The writer is a columnist based in Qazigund, Kashmir.