Cigarette smoking is injurious to health, as per the statutory warning message. However, many people still taste smoking and spoil their health in the process. In airports, a special enclosure is made to encourage smokers to pursue smoking in a closed place.
Even though the prices of cigarettes are increased in every budget, the interest of smokers is not coming down drastically. One more cause for accepting this cigarette-smoking habit is seeing their superstars smoking on the silver screen. The caution is totally ignored, and we see the role model superstars smoking cigarettes.
As the world gears up for World Tobacco Day, the campaign needs to move from larger pictorial health warnings to plain packaging. Tobacco is the only consumer product with no useful or beneficial qualities; instead, it causes death and disability.
An interaction with an oncologist or his patient on tobacco products will leave you extremely grim and concerned at the dangerous prospect of India sitting on a fast-ticking cancer time-bomb. Tobacco is the only product that loses one-third of its consumers to death or disability.
The warning “Cigarette smoking is injurious to health” sounds good.
The fight against tobacco is not just a health issue—it is a societal responsibility. While warnings and price hikes play their part, real change demands stricter regulations, plain packaging, and widespread awareness. We must challenge the glamorization of smoking in media, engage our youth in preventive education, and support policies that prioritize public health over profit. As we observe World Tobacco Day, let it be a reminder that every cigarette not smoked is a life extended, and every voice raised against tobacco is a step towards a healthier, stronger India.
IMPORTANT POINTS:
✅ Tobacco kills silently – Over 1 million Indians die each year due to tobacco-related illnesses. It’s not just a habit, it’s a national health emergency.
✅ Warnings aren’t enough – Despite bold warnings and price hikes, tobacco usage continues to rise, especially among youth aged 13–15.
✅ Packaging matters – Plain packaging can help reduce tobacco appeal by removing branding that glamorizes smoking.
✅ Cinematic influence – Superstars smoking on-screen often normalize and promote the habit, especially to impressionable young minds.
✅ More than smoking – Smokeless tobacco (gutkha, khaini, mawa) is even more widely used and causes a higher rate of oral cancers in India.
✅ High economic cost – India loses over ₹1.77 lakh crore annually in healthcare and productivity due to tobacco use.
✅ Second-hand smoke is deadly too – Non-smokers exposed to tobacco smoke also face severe health consequences, including heart and lung disease.
✅ Children at risk – Alarming statistics show millions of Indian teens are experimenting with tobacco despite regulations.
✅ Time for bold reforms – Advocating for plain packaging, banning on-screen smoking, and enforcing youth-targeted awareness programs is the need of the hour.
✅ Every puff counts – Quitting today not only adds years to life but also improves the quality of life for yourself and those around you.
