Udupi: The highest number of incidents of cigarette-smoking are among school and college students, and that is why we have to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco, said District Surveillance Officer Dr Vasudev.
He was speaking at an introductory training camp organised by the Udupi District Panchayat, the District Health and Family Welfare Department, and the District Survey Office (NTCP Unit) for stakeholders of the National Tobacco Control Programme and COPTA Act (2003) held at the District Survey Unit, Udupi on Thursday, October 10.
Addressing the gathering, Vasudev said, “Students should be made aware of the dangers of tobacco consumption at the home itself. The sales of marijuana and cigarettes have been on the rise and schools, as well as colleges, should educate students.”
“Please inform the health department if there is any information regarding the sale of this type of products,” he added.
In his address, NITTE University Public Health Department head Dr Jagannath P said that an estimated 10 lakh people die from tobacco use in India every year and that tobacco control was the responsibility of all citizens.
He further said, “It should be a punishable offense to sell tobacco products to people under the age of 18 by shops selling tobacco products, under the COPTA Act (2003). Children should not be used to sell tobacco products It is a crime to sell tobacco products at schools and colleges, the advertising of tobacco and other products is banned. Adopting a picture of smoking on movie posters is a punishable offense. Across all the public places in the district, the nominee for smoking cessation is mandatory.”
Mentioning the health safety measures, District Food Safety Officer Venkatesh said, “We should adopt safety measures such as wearing a cap on the head, wearing a mask on the mouth, and wearing gloves while cooking to ensure the safety and quality of food. Rinse the fruit vegetables from the market with salt water and remove the chemicals on the fruit vegetable. Be careful of the batch number, expiry date, or any ISI number. The permit, which is limited to food manufacturers and traders, is currently being extended to religious places such as temples, churches, and mosques.”
Dr. Murulidhar Kulkarni of the KMC Community Medicine Division said, “We should be aware of the adverse effects of tobacco. The nicotine content in tobacco affects the brain and makes you addicted to tobacco. There are over 4,000 chemicals in cigarettes that are more susceptible to diseases like lung damage, TB, asthma, brain stroke, and gangreen.”
“There is sufficient provision for cessation of tobacco for those who are already smoking,” he added.
