Heavy Tobacco Use To Kill 1.5 Million Indians A Year: Report
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The widespread consumption of tobacco in India is expected to cause the deaths of around 1.5 million Indians a year by 2020, according to a new report by the International Tobacco Control Project (ITCP), calling on authorities to better enforce existing smoke-free laws and to raise the price of the product in order to discourage over-consumption.
The widespread consumption of tobacco in India is expected to cause the deaths of around 1.5 million Indians a year by 2020, according to a new report by the International Tobacco Control Project (ITCP), calling on authorities to better enforce existing smoke-free laws and to raise the price of the product in order to discourage over-consumption.
According to the ITCP, there are approximately 275 million tobacco users in India, with tobacco use accounting for nearly half of all cancers among males and a quarter of all cancers among females.
In India, the use of so-called smokeless tobacco – including chewing products such as gutkha, zarda, paan masal and khaini – is also the most common form of tobacco use, with many poorer people and women preferring these over smoking cigarettes or bindis – small, cheap, locally-made cigarettes.
According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey, 26 percent of adults in India consume smokeless tobacco, which is associated with a two-four times increase in the risk for cardiovascular diseases.
“Compared with many countries around the world, India has been proactive in introducing tobacco control legislation since 2003 and in fact the country ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2004…. However… the legislation currently in place is not delivering the desired results – in terms of dissuading tobacco use and encouraging quitting,” noted Professor Geoffrey Fong, a co-author of the ITCP report.
“Of all the 22 ITCP countries, tobacco users in India are least likely to intend to quit, with 75 percent to 94 percent of smokers, and 73 percent to 94 percent of smokeless users having no plans to quit using their respective products,” Professor Fong further added.
[quote]“These very low intention rates in India are a harbinger of continued smoking for an overwhelming majority of smokers – and that will impact the number of deaths from tobacco use. If there is any single indicator of the urgent need for continued and strengthened efforts for strong, evidence-based tobacco control in India – this is it,” he said.[/quote]“In order to decrease morbidity and mortality from tobacco use in India, we recommend the adoption of strategies that have proved to be successful in other ITC countries, including increasing the price of tobacco products, enforcing comprehensive smoke-free laws and raising awareness of the risks of tobacco use through larger graphic warnings and mass media campaigns.”
On Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reaffirmed his government’s commitment to building a tobacco-free society.
“India is firmly committed to the vision of a tobacco free society,” the prime minister said in a recorded message at the International Conference on Public Health Priorities in the 21st Century, as cited by SiliconIndia.
[quote]”As we act with conviction and commitment to eliminate tobacco as a threat to human health, we must also assist those engaged in tobacco farming or manufacture, to move towards economically viable alternative livelihood,” he added.[/quote]Related: WHO Urges China To Raise Taxes On Tobacco
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A report by the Times of India suggested that the use of smokeless tobacco alone was costing the country $389 million a year in related healthcare costs. India has the highest number of oral cancer cases in the world, with about 90 percent of these attributed to smokeless tobacco use.
Taxes accounted for approximately 38 percent of the retail price of cigarettes, but smokeless tobacco products are often sold in India without any tax component in the retail price. This falls far below the World Bank recommendation of tax accounting for 66 to 80 percent of the retail price of tobacco products.
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