Cracking on smoking in schools, colleges

Cracking on smoking in schools, colleges

As part of its efforts to deter students consuming tobacco products, Karnataka will appoint 130 officials from various departments to take action against students smoking or consuming tobacco products.

Tobacco is said to have been introduced in Bijapur in the Adil Shahi era. Indian farmers who grew tobacco later, probably had no inkling of the hazards of their crop and luckily also did not use phosphatic fertilisers in modern times. However, it was discovered in a US based research that tobacco roots may absorb radioactivity from the soil.

There has been considerable fluctuation in the production of tobacco during the last two decades, even thought the area under the crop showed only slight fluctuation as per data of the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Government of India. Endowed with various agro-climatic zones, India grows all types of tobacco (except oriental), which are broadly classified as flue cured Virginia (cigarette tobacco) and non-Virginia types. Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka between them account for 82.4 per cent of the area under tobacco crop. However, the production of tobacco in the country has been stagnant at around 6 lakh tonnes during the last two decades.

The need for development of alternate use for tobacco arises because of compulsion generated mainly out of health risks of using tobacco for introducing tobacco control laws. Tobacco is a major revenue-generating commodity in many countries.

As part of its efforts to deter students consuming tobacco products, Karnataka will appoint 130 officials from various departments in the state as implementing officers. These officers would be empowered to take action against students smoking or consuming tobacco products, said S Prakash, joint director (medical), Directorate of Health and Family Welfare.

In 2004, the year that Karnataka set up a State Anti-Tobacco Cell, a number of officers were identified from various departments like BMP, education, health, at district and taluk levels, along with principals of educational institutions to take action against students smoking or consuming tobacco products. The Central National Rural Health Mission has embarked in the anti-tobacco pilot project that has so far included five states. Karnataka is to be included too, with Bangalore Medical College as the nodal centre for the District Tobacco Control Programme, as well as District Hospital, Gulbarga, according to Dr Prakash. The funds for these two districts is said to be Rs 13.43 lakh.

Effective treatment for tobacco dependence could significantly improve overall public health within only a few years.
By Shonali Misra

Online at: http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/May312007/panorama200705314746.asp