The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) has revealed that 26.6% population of Jammu & Kashmir is using tobacco products. This has given the unique status for the state to emerge lung cancer capital of India. A.M.Mir IAS (Retd) Executive Director while addressing a meeting of J&K Voluntary Health Association said that eight lakh people will die untimely due to serious illnesses, heart attacks, pulmonary diseases and Cancer. 15 lakh people will have prostate cancer because of tobacco usage and currently, J&K has been labelled as the lung cancer capital of India.
He informed that the burden of cigarette smoking and tobacco use in Jammu Kashmir is very high. J&K has 12% cigarette smokers, 3.8% bidi smokers and 8.0% smokeless tobacco users. Mir also informed that J&K’s cigarette use prevalence is 12% which is almost double the nationwide prevalence of 5.7%. The highest proportion of adults 67.9% are exposed to tobacco smoke in offices and other public places in J&K as compared to 15.4% in Chandigarh. A.M.Mir appealed the State Govt. to raise VAT on all forms of tobacco products from 40% to 70% in the larger interests of public health. This will greatly reduce the consumption and save vulnerable young people.
By Premji
