By: Rameeza Ali
World No-Tobacco Day is observed every year around the world on 31st of May. It is intended to encourage a 24-hours period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption across the globe.
The theme on this occasion, this year, has been set as ‘Tobacco and Heart Disease’ as the member states of World Health Organization (WHO), an organization of UN (United Nations) conceived of this day in the year of 1987. Since then, the day is observed to create awareness regarding the ill effects of the use of tobacco to human health.
WHO is highlighting the effects of tobacco consumption and says that it is a threat to the nation’s development and is also calling on governments to implement strong control measures over it.
The intention behind such events is clear- creating awareness, information and education regarding the ill effects of tobacco on human health and how such habits are also draining out people economically. Tobacco products inclusing Bidi, Khani,Ghutka, Cigarettes, cigars etc have spread among millions of people across the globe and millions lose their lives to such fatal habits.
Apart from the international organization like WHO, state governments, public health organizations and NGO’s organize various programmes locally in order to contribute their bit in creating information regarding the impacts of tobacco on human health.
Tobacco is actually a plant which contains a chemical namely ‘Nicotine’ or we can say it is an alkaloid which is bad for our health and is lethal and is also known as ‘Brain Wanting” disease which can never be cured but can be arrested. It sends wrong information for the use of nicotine to the body as essential as the other survival substances like eating food and drinking liquids. Due to the consumption of nicotine, our body reaches to such a level where a person has no way to remain aloof from it and is trapped into this habit of consuming this poisonous substance.
Cigarette smoking in injurious to your health- a sentence which can be seen on the packs of cigarettes is actually administered by the very corporate houses that produce this poison. Obviously, it is business and big business if I say. One cannot deny the fact that it is sad reality of our consumer world but there are things in our own hands which need to be exercised. We can quit the use of tobacco at any time and we should do it as soon as possible.
There are thousands of people who suffer everyday because of tobacco consumption and yet some tobacco products have become fashion. The usual argument that is made is that the use of tobacco relaxes and relieves one’s mind. But this is temporary and can’t solve their problems at all. Knowing full well that the addictive substances in tobacco make it hard for anyone to leave its use, but there is no other way and one cannot afford to continue using tobacco at all.
The writer is a class12th student of Fazil Kashmiri Memorial HSS, Chandilora, Tangmarg.
The article was written for a workshop organized by Arts in Life Initiative Foundation-ALIF, Chanpora, Tangmarg.
