Comcom: Dr Yach , can you kindly elaborate on the Tobacco free initiative campaign
Dr. Yach : Well the tobacco free initiatives is one of the cabinet
projects of World Health Organisation. The other one is
called 'Drawback Malaria' and when Dr. Bruntlin , the
Director General came into office she decided to tackle
two major public health threats of global nature.
We were created specifically to take a stronger
global approach to the whole problem of tobacco given the
enormous global impact that it is having and particularly
given the impact it will have in the developing countries
over the next few years.
ComCom : What is the main issue of ?
DR. Yach : Well the main points here is to try and build the
constituency in the developing world, of people who
understand the legal and international approaches to
tobacco control. We have people from international law ,
litigation, from the legislature and economists and public
health people who are trying to say what are the best methods
that we need to use at national level and at global level.
We find that at the national level medical
approaches alone will do very little to improve the
prospects of tobacco control. Rather what we need is a
stronge excise tax and that requires economists. We
need strong legislation to control stricly advertising and
promotion which requires the service of legal profession.
we need stronger support to stop people smoking in public
places and in homes. Individual countries need to work
together. We are discussing the development of the world's
first public health treaty which could be international
convention to tobacco control.
Some of the issues are: What are the possible contents of an
international treaty to control tobacco? what are some of
the issues that crossnational borders, smuggling , satellite
television, internet , design of tobacco products, all
these issues would be addressed. At the same time we will be
looking at some hardened approach to tobacco control
including the use of litigation to try and force the
tobacco industry to make public the information about how
they behaved in the past and what they were known and how
they influenced the policy forces in the country.
This is particularly important in countries like India where you
are starting to establish stronger pursuit to tobacco
control.
ComCom : What about the role of media and ban on tobacco
use?
Dr Yach : We must think and share from other countries which
have acheived success; The key problem ofcourse is that
while it is often easy to get legislation passed but tough
to enforce it on the ground and the key to success lies in
having strong community support and NGO activation well in
advance of legislation.
So when the law comes out
particularly banning smoking in public places it is the
public the non smokers who demand the right to clean air
You leave that really after the population,to force the
smokers to abide by the legislation rather than putting the
police force after go and arrest smokers.
Rather what we need for sustainable long term success
is to ensure that smokers become more active passive smoking.
Some of the conclusions that this conference is arriving at is
try to reduce demand for tobacco through better tax
and better legislation on the one hand and the concerns
that the people have on the supply side, the role of farmers;
the fact that many people are employed; we need to
remember that the farmers involved in say the beedi
industry or small scale farming are doing so not with any
malice or any evil in the heart but beacuse they are simply
trying to exist and have a livelihood.
What we are saying
is that what we need to be thinking of for the future-
new industries for the future and not trying to rebuild on
the old industries based on tobacco. India is showing the
revolution that is pouring in information technology. There
is no reason why we shouldn't be thinking that many of the
children of todays tobacco farmers couldn't find better
livelihoods out of tobacco and in hightech industries than
remaining with the industries of the twentieth century.
II. Interview with DR.S.P. Agarwal
ComCom : Dr Agarwal kindly enlighten the situation regarding
tobacco use in our country
DR. Agarwal : India is the second largest country in the whole world
which has the maxiumum consumption of cigarettes including
the beedis. The main substance is addictive in nature and
once people start taking cigarettes they get addicted to
nicotine.
Now there is enough scientific evidence that
nicotine aand cigarette smoking and tobacco use is
directly related to nearly 25 diseases. whether they are
heart attacks or high blood pressures or strokes or
cancers- diseases in which it is directly related to. If we
have to reduce the disease burden it is important that the
tobacco consumption is reduced. We have another problem of
chewing tobacco the smokeless tobacco, that is chewing
ghutka. It causes sub-mucosis fibrosis and it causes
cancer.
But the whole problem of reduction of tobacco use
is multi diciplinaray. Diiferent sectors are involved .
You know a large number of people are involved in the
production of tobacco, making of beedis and a number of
other things. Number of other sectors will have to be taken into
consideration and they have to work together. Raising of
different crops for people who are growing tobacco,and
also strategies need to be developed to reduce its
consumption and thereby disease burden.
Director General of Health
services,
India
ComCom : What is the holistic approach to tackle this problem
DR. Agarwal : Now there is scientific evidence that passive smoking
is a serious hazard. That means in an office environment
or in a bus or in a place , where there are lot of non
smokers, some people smoke and the other people who are
non smoking are dangered by this passive smoking. So
it is important that there are some areas which is smoke
free and people will have a right to have clean air.
ComCom : As Director General of Health services kindly tell us
the Indian Governments present approach to the problem?
DR. Agarwal : People should know that it is addictive and if we
continue its use it can cause a number of diseases and
will shorten the life span and quality of life. Secondly
it is theuse of difference sectors like labourand
agriculture, a joint approach towards its restriction can be achieved. Then of course is
the problem of deaddiction - basically it is the awareness ,
basically it is the will power, which can make people reduce
or leave the smoking.
Connected Links for Further Reading :
Tobacco free initiative - I
Tobacco free initiative- II
Tobaco growers association
WHO launches ground-breaking global anti-smoking campaign
