Mahadeep Singh Jamwal
Smoking is a practice in which a substance is burned and the resulting smoke is breathed in, most commonly substance is the dried leaves of the tobacco. It is available in every nook and corner of the street in the shape of paper wrapped Cigarette and dried leaf wrapped 'Biddies'. It is the financial status of the person, which makes the choice to adopt Cigarette or 'Biddies', but in both cases, it is taken as a fashion. Various drugs have also been recently added to the smoking substances, such as cannabis and opium. Many hallucinogenic drugs have also registered their presence in the market, which is adding to the other measures of addiction, in the shape of inhalation, smelling, and injecting. These substances are generally considered as stress reliever and recreational also. Basically it is taken up as recreational and ultimately becomes addiction finally culminating in hosting number of fatal diseases, such as Cardiovascular Diseases, Lung Cancer and Respiratory Diseases. The category of smokers can be defined as; Active smokers and Passive smokers. The active smokers is the category who directly inhale the obnoxious resultant smoke which is the product of burning of substances (Tobacco & other products)., where as the passive smokers is the category of indirect smokers, who fall prey to the activity of smoking, by the active smokers, who pollute the environment by obnoxious exhaling and non smokers are bound to inhale the air of that environment and they can be termed as environmental smokers. The passive smokers are equally prey to the diseases as active smokers. The smoking involves only two negative aspects i.e. health and wealth.
The smoking is not a recently invented disastrous pleasure, but it exists in the society since centuries old. The smoking has been promoted in the past owing to the belief, that smoking lead to "spiritual enlightenment", as it helps induces trance-like states. The simple way of smoking has been advanced, to burning some substance and to inhale the resultant vaporizers. In 1560, Frenchman named Jean Nicot (from whom word Nicotine is derived), introduced tobacco to France, and from France to England. By the mid of 17ty century every major civilization had been introduced to tobacco smoking, despite the facts of many rulers to stamp the practice out. With the identification of first link of smoking and cancer by German doctor, a strong anti tobacco movement was initiated in Germany and it lead the first anti-smoking campaign in modern history. Some of the early anti-smoking ban, mention in the history are;
n Murad IV, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, claiming it was a threat to public morality and health.
n Banning addiction of smoking by Chongzhen Emperor of China before overthrow of Ming Dynasty followed by Manchu Rulers of the Qing Dynasty as more heinous crime.
n Patriarch of Moscow forbade the sale of tobacco in 1634.
n James I of England, a staunch anti-smoker tried to ban, by imposing heavily tax of 4000% on tobacco in 1604, although it proved failure.
Smoking in India has been known, since at least 2000 BC, when cannabis was smoked and is first mentioned in the 'Atharvaveda'. Tobacco was introduced in India in the 17th century. The India too has much National legislation on the subject such as;
n The Cigarette (Regulation of production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 1975, which mandated statutory Warning on cigarette packs.
n The Cigarettes and other tobacco products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 2003, applicable to Cigarette, Cigars, Biddies, Gutka. Pan Masala, Khaini, Snuff and all products containing tobacco in any form and it prohibits sale of tobacco products in an area within 100 yards of any educational institutions, was brought into force from 1st December 2004.
Smoking in public places prohibited nationwide from 2 October 2008 under the Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Rules 2008.
Rules mandating 'Display of pictorial health warning on all tobacco products packets' on at least 40% of the package, notified on 3 May 2009, came into force on 31 May 2009.
The Cable Television Network (Regulation) Amendment Bill, in force since 8 September 2000, completely prohibits cigarettes and alcohol advertisements.
There are regional smoking bans also in place.
In spite of all these efforts on the part of Governments, we do not find remarkable achievements and the society is still under the grip of Cigarette Smoking. There is great violation of all the laws on the subject and governments shrink their shoulder just by making the Laws on the subject instead of putting a blanket ban on the production of tobacco and its related products, which I feel owing to the reasons below;
India is second country in the world as producer of Tobacco.
Exporting of the tobacco and its related products to approximately, 80 Nations of the World.
India being the fourth largest consumer of the tobacco in the World.
Indian tobacco industry exports are likely to touch Rs. 16,050 million towards the end of current fiscal year.
It consumes large number of unemployed masses by engaging them in this trade.
The government is expected to realize the situation, arising out of smoking and should seriously take the observations of Honorable Supreme Court of India in case Murli S. Deora Vs Union of India and Ors. Delivered on 2 November 2001 and it goes as:
"Tobacco is universally regarded as one of the major public health hazards and is responsible directly or indirectly for an estimated eight lakh deaths annually in the country. It has also been found that treatment of tobacco related diseases and loss of productivity caused there in cost the country almost Rs. 13,500 Crores annually, which more than offsets all the benefits accruing in the form of revenue and employment generated by tobacco industry".
This observation and concern of the Supreme Court of India, in its real perspective speaks of blanket ban on production of tobacco and its related products come what may be the revenue collection and employment generation owing to the reasons that it is major public health hazards. |
