Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) Tuesday demanded complete ban on import, manufacturing, transportation and sale of all forms of tobacco in Kashmir.
In a statement to KNS President DAK Dr Nisar ul Hassan said that tobacco is the deadliest artefact in the history of human civilization and the only way to put an end to this world’s leading cause of death is by enactment of outright ban on tobacco which is well within the power of the state.
“J&K is emerging as the smoking capital of north India and cigarette smoking is almost double the nation wide prevalence of 5.7%. J&K has 12% cigarette smokers, 3.8% bidi smokers and 8% smokeless (chewable) tobacco users. Tobacco is a risk for heart attacks, strokes, COPD, cancers, hypertension and peripheral vascular disease,” he said.
“The rise of cancers in Kashmir from 1448 cases in 2009 to 1768 cases in 2014 has been due to high rates of smoking in children and young adults. According to a study conducted at SKIMS smoking related cancers like lung cancers have high incidence in the valley.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelInternational agency for research on cancers concluded in 2014, that involuntary smoking is carcinogenic to humans,” Dr Hassan said.
“US surgeon general in his 2006 report concluded that there is sufficient evidence to infer a causal relationship between exposure to second hand smoke (passive smoking) and sudden infant death syndrome. In a study by oral medicine department at dental hospital Jammu in 2013-14, 25% patients were detected with oral cancers and chewable tobacco was the leading causative factor. Tobacco is the single greatest cause of preventable deaths and according to WHO 06 million people die annually due to tobacco. 1700 people have died of various types of cancers in Kashmir in last 03 years and smoking has been the main reason. It has been found that treatment of tobacco related disease costs much more than the revenue generated by tobacco industry. The prime reason for increased use of tobacco in Kashmir is its social acceptance,” the DAK president added.