It is impossible to ignore the widespread public messaging that repeatedly appeals to citizens to not consume tobacco in any form, be it chewing or smoking. Also, it is noteworthy that this public messaging against tobacco usage is far more vigorous in India than in most of the developed countries in the West.
In India, a packet of cigarettes or gutkha carries a far more graphic message of what tobacco could do to you as compared to the subtle one-line formalities practiced in the West.
Hence, while the efficacy of these health warnings in India can be debated, it is safe to conclude that the policymakers are proactive about curbing tobacco usage.
After decades of our collective experience about the outcomes of tobacco usage, there is no doubt that its consumption needs to be minimized and eventually eradicated. And the Union government has made some commendable strides in that direction.
When it comes to tobacco regulations, another contrast with the West is the complete ban on the sale of e-cigarettes or vapes. In 2020, when Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the ban, it sent ripples across the globe. While vaping is a common practice amongst young adults or even adolescents in the West, India has been able to mitigate, if not completely control, the spread of e-cigarettes in the younger sections of the population.
Although there are leakages when it comes to enforcing the policies, when implemented meticulously, both communication strategies and regulations seem to raise public health awareness regarding tobacco consumption.
However, the tobacco menace continues to engulf a large number of the Indian population. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), which surveyed the Indian population in 2019-21, found that 39.1 percent of men and 4.1 percent of women were consuming tobacco. A large percentage more of people are exposed to secondhand smoking. It’s important to mention here that the number of people consuming any form of tobacco has seen a certain reduction from the previous NFHS 4.
This highlights the need to relook into the strategies that we deploy for tobacco control and strengthen them to accelerate the progress.
However, despite these measures, there’s a lot more to be done. Policymaking, law enforcement, and public messaging need to be further synchronized, with broader participation of entities that can spearhead this mission through persistent advocacy with all stakeholders, including the public at large.
This is more critical as neither the government nor the medical experts or researchers have the time or the required capacity to mobilize communities and combat the massive popularity of tobacco products.
In such a situation, not only strict policies and communication strategies are needed to curb tobacco usage, but targeting the right target audience can also make a huge difference.
Often, it is observed that children are more sensitive towards emotional appeals to deter adults from using tobacco. Hence, appealing children to persuade their parents from smoking or chewing tobacco can be a viable strategy. Likewise, empowering women to protest against men smoking tobacco in the household can also go a long way. They can also be empowered through adequate laws, as in the case of against domestic violence. If a man is deliberately exposing his wife and children to secondhand smoke, it too can be considered a form of violence as it puts them at higher risk of health problems.
Talking of strict policies, one of the biggest measures taken by the governments over the years has been to impose heavy taxes on cigarettes. However, despite the WHO stating that taxes are a good remedy to curb smoking, there are experts who complain that the taxes are not effective and the local tobacco farmers bear the brunt.
Also, higher taxes on cigarettes lead to increased smuggling, which further complicates the entire issue. Hence, responses to the tobacco menace need to be practical and sustainable in the long run.
These taxes mean that the tobacco addicts end up paying more money to soothe their addiction. This derails the economics of a household, and expenses on healthcare, education, and nutrition are compromised as sustaining tobacco addiction requires greater financial resources.
While high taxation may have its benefits as a deterrent or at least in reducing consumption, more efforts are needed in helping people fight off the addiction. One such way can be to promote availability of tobacco cessation products such as nicotine-laden chewing gums or nicotine patches easily and maybe in the same places from where people buy tobacco.
The incidence of tobacco consumption is higher in a country like ours because, as per the World Health Organization, almost 80% of the world’s 1.3 billion tobacco consumers belong to low- and middle-income countries.
Better management is utilized to ensure that people’s consciences are constantly reminded of the fact that the tobacco epidemic is one of the most dangerous public health threats the world is facing.
We need constant reminders such as the following:
- Tobacco usage kills more than 8 million people in a year globally.
- More than 7 million of those deaths are caused by direct consumption of tobacco smoke use, while around 1.3 million fatalities are a consequence of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.
- Tobacco use leads to poverty by diverting household income away from basic needs such as food and shelter to tobacco. This consumer spending behavior is hard to regulate because tobacco is highly addictive.