World No-Tobacco Day: IMA demands compulsory tobacco vendor licensing

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): More than 8.67 million people die across the globe every year due to tobacco consumption, while over 1.3 million people die due to secondhand smoke, that is, they don’t smoke but remain exposed to it.

On the eve of World No-Tobacco Day, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has appealed to the government to strictly implement tobacco vendor licensing in all districts and also to put a blanket ban on loose cigarettes across the country.

The IMA has been appealing to the government to take stern steps to control tobacco consumption, including strict implementation of the ban on e-cigarettes, ban on point of sale advertisements, plain packaging of tobacco products, control on smoking scenes on social media/Net platforms, too, and higher taxation on tobacco products.

‘Affecting the planet badly’

‘Tobacco not only affects the life of the consumer, but is also affecting the planet badly due to which this year, the theme for observing the day is ‘Tobacco-Threat to Environment’ which aims at raising public awareness about the environmental impact of the entire tobacco cycle—from its cultivation, production and distribution to the toxic waste it generates’ —Dr Dilip Acharya, national chairman, IMA Tobacco Control Committee

Beneficial health changes that take place after quitting smoking:

§ Within 20 minutes, your heart rate and blood pressure drop

§ Within 12 hours, the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal

§ Within 2-12 weeks, circulation improves and your lung function increases

§ Within 1-9 months, coughing and shortness of breath decrease

§ Within 1 year, the risk of coronary heart disease is about half that of a smoker

§ Within 5 years, stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker (5 to 15 years after quitting)

§ Within 10 years, the risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of a smoker and the risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, bladder, cervix and pancreas decreases

§ Within 15 years, the risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker

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