World No Tobacco Day

Theme 2009
The WHO's call to action comes on the eve of World No Tobacco Day, 31 May. This year’s campaign focuses on the multi-billion dollar efforts of tobacco companies to attract young people to its addictive products through sophisticated marketing. Recent studies prove that the more young people are exposed to tobacco advertising, the more likely they are to start smoking. Despite this, only five per cent of the world’s population is covered by comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. In Kolkata, it is less than one per cent. Tobacco companies, meanwhile, continue targeting young people by falsely associating use of tobacco products with qualities such as glamour, energy and sex appeal.

The focus
Globally, most people start smoking before the age of 18, with almost a quarter of those beginning before the age of 10. The younger children are when they first try smoking, the more likely they are to become regular tobacco users and the less likely they are to quit. A strong link between advertising and smoking in young people has been proven. The more aware and appreciative young people are of tobacco advertising, the more likely they are to smoke or say they intend to. As a result, the tobacco industry spends billions of dollars worldwide each year spreading its marketing net as widely as possible to attract young customers. Tobacco companies market their products wherever youth can be easily accessed - in the movies, on the Internet, in fashion magazines, and at music concerts and sports events.

How to Quit Smoking?
Quitting is just a matter of will power. There is no prescribed medicine, nor any form of treatment that could help quitting habit of taking tobacco products or tobacco in any form. Rather, according to Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, only will power helps a person to quit tobacco. Tobacco is obviously an addiction, so quitting is often very difficult. The body becomes physically and psychologically dependent on nicotine. Studies have shown that tobacco users must overcome both of these to be successful at quitting and staying quit. A number of tobacco cessation modalities are available that can help a person quit the habit.

Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, suggests: -
Quitting is hard. Usually people make two or three attempts, or more, before being able to quit for good. The most effective way to quit tobacco is by using a combination of counselling and nicotine replacement therapy—such as nicotine patch, inhaler, gum, or nasal spray—or non-nicotine medicines, such as Bupropion SR. The family physician is the best advisor. Quitting doesn’t mean the tobacco-user will automatically gain weight. When people do gain weight after quitting, it is usually because they don’t watch what they eat and start eating more. The health benefits of quitting far exceed any risks from the average weight gain that may follow quitting.

Tobacco Related Diseases
§ Oral Cancer
§ Lung Cancer
§ Osteoporosis
§ Decrease of libido
§ Premature wrinkling of skin
§ Cataract
§ Reproductive disease
§ Peptic ulcer
§ Gum, dental and mouth disease
§ Work absenteeism
§ Reduced physical stamina
§ Oesophagus cancer
§ Atherosclerotic disease
§ Cardio-vascular disease
§ Respiratory problem
§ Cerebrovascular disease
§ Voice-box cancer
§ Aggravate rheumatoid arthritis

Tobacco Users
§ Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, chief minister
§ Mrinal Banerjee, power & new energy resources minister,
§ Jogesh Burman, backward class minister,
§ Abdus Sattar, madrasa & minority affairs minister,
§ Asim Dasgupta, finance minister,
§ Manabendranath Mukhopadhyay, tourism minister,
§ Ananta Ray, forest minister,
§ Subhas Naskar, irrigation minister,
§ Nandagopal Bhattacharya, water resource minister,
§ Gautam Dev, public health engineering & housing minister,
§ Suryakanta Mishra, health minister,
§ Biswanath Choudhury, social welfare, women & child development and correctional home services minister,
§ Sabyasachi Sen, industry secretary,
§ Prasad Ranjan Ray, chairman, State Electricity Regulatory Commission,
§ Sunil Mitra, power secretary,
§ Subrata Narayan Sarkar, additional police commissioner,
§ Partha Bhattacharyya, additional director general (human rights)
§ Anirban Guha, director –regulatory trading, state power board-- (social smoker)
§ June Mailah—Film actress
§ Anjan Dutta—Director and musician
§ Roopa Ganguly—Film actress
§ Prasenjit Chatterjee—Film actor
§ Sabyasachi Chakraborty—Film actor
§ Anindita Sarbadhikari—Film director
§ Soumitra Chattopadhyay—Film actor
§ Dipankar De—Film actor
§ Mrinal Sen—Film director
§ Mahasweta Devi—Ramon Magsaysay Award recipient litterateur

Quote--Unquote

§ “I don’t smoke in public. I won’t quit smoking”—Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, chief minister
§ “Oh, my God! Today is World No Tobacco Day? I am smoking…. I really tried to quit thrice, but literally failed. I wish I could succeed!”—Roopa Ganguly, film actress
§ “I never tried to quit smoking…never even thought of…I love smoking, honestly.”—Anjan Dutta, film director and musician
§ “What’s in a smoking? People should quit use of any form of tobacco product use. Its really nothing less than committing suicide”—Arjun Chakraborty, film actor
§ “I tried to impose a blanket ban on use of any form of tobacco product use in government offices and public buildings, thinking of both health and property loss. The Writers Buildings is just a house of wax, but what to do? Many seniors in the Left Front cabinet smokes! It’s deadly”—Pratim Chatterjee, fire and emergency services minister.
§ “I have reduced intake of tobacco, but failed to quit it, even my doctors strictly say, No To Tobacco,”—Mrinal Banerjee, power minister.

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