New Delhi: Everyone who watches Hindi films know about Mukesh and his tragic story. A 24-year-old victim of smokeless tobacco (SLT), Mukesh’s poignant story was aired before movie screenings across India as part of an anti-tobacco campaign led by a renowned surgeon. Many movie watchers found his story so tragic that they would slip out of the hall during the duration of the SLT ad. They would only return after the ad got over. Ironically, Mukesh succumbed to the very habit his campaign sought to highlight. His death reiterated the message- smoking kills!
SLT (dry tobacco) encompasses a range of products including chewing tobacco, betel quid with tobacco, gutkha, snuff, snus, and others.
A recent Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) study has sent shockwaves across the country, revealing alarming consumption patterns. SLT use surpassed smoking in 68 districts out of approximately 100 surveyed districts. 15 districts in Madhya Pradesh topped the list, followed by 14 in Odisha, and 11 each in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
Indian council of medical research (ICMR) claims that 3.8 lakh deaths annually can be attributed to cancer and other SLT-related illnesses. Out of these, 29.6% or 14.1 crore are men and 12.8% women or 5.8 crore consume SLT.
There are products that are uncomfortably popular with 15 years include Khaini (11.2 percent), supari with tobacco (5.8), pan masala with tobacco (2.8), gutka (6.8), oral tobacco (4.4).
The total economic cost attributable to SLT use in 2011 was INR 233.6 billion for persons aged 35-69 years. In contrast, the excise tax revenue collected from SLT in that year amounted to only INR 12.6 billion, this highlighting a stark disparity. Ministry of health and family welfare that contributed it’s data to from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) shows students aged 13–15 years surveyed in 132 countries were more likely to report using non-cigarette tobacco products including SLT products (11 percent) than to report smoking cigarettes (8.9 percent).
Dr. Vipin Arora, Head and Neck Oncologist, University College of Medical Sciences, Delhi, highlights the risks: “Head and neck cancer stem from cigarettes, pipes, cigars, and chewing tobacco. Alcohol combined with smoking exacerbates dangers.”
He notes production challenges: “Majority of SLT products are made in informal cottage settings complicating taxation and regulation.”
Shalini Singh, Director, ICMR, laments easy and cheap availability of smokeless tobacco: “Lakhs in India plunge into poverty due to costly tobacco-related diseases.”
Dr. G C Khilnani, Pulmonary Expert and Chairman, PSRI, warns on nicotine addiction: “As addictive as heroin and cocaine. It raises BP, spikes adrenaline – heightens heart attack risk.” He further states, “e-cigarettes contain nicotine. We do know that it is harmful in the short run, but long-term vapor impacts are largely unknown.” He advises, “Sooner you quit, quicker body rebounds – consult doctors for cessation support.”
When Health on Air (HOA), spoke to an 18-year-old, Avinash Durga who smokes e-cigarettes, “I have been vaping since the Covid-19 period, and what I know is that I am just consuming nicotine and not other ingredients in cigarettes. They say more than 400 other dangerous things if I smoke a cigarette.”
“And in e-cigarette I get only nicotine and if I want more nicotine can buy extra-strength cartridges, which have a higher concentration of nicotine, or increase the e-cigarette’s voltage to get a greater hit of the substance,” he added.
The government aims to curtail SLT usage by 15percent, hoping to control associated mortality. Mukesh’s tragic narrative serves as a grim reminder of the lethal grip the SLT has over the young masses.
Data Graphs Designed by Shaurya Singh
(Cover Image: AI Generated)
