There is a ban on the sale of gutka in the State. The Directorate of Food and Drugs Administration conducts raids, if it is found that shops are selling gutka. Therefore, if there is a ban on the sale of this product then why are the companies allowed to advertise gutka?
Not one, not two, but a staggering 350 teachers expressed the fear of such advertisements, which are displayed on the buses of state owned Kadamba Transport Corporation since it will have an impact on the students. Indeed it’s a good thing that the teachers themselves brought the matter to the notice of the authorities. It is also surprising that the subject went unnoticed by the ones who usually oppose the usage of tobacco products. KTC should stop advertising things which are harmful and illegal not because teachers raised their voices but as a part of social responsibility.
Although gutka is banned, it’s still sold in the market under different names. It all begins with chewing sweetened betel nuts and before one knows, he/she is addicted to tobacco. It would be risky to confidently say that tobacco is not sold in the states just because it is banned. The red-pink packets easily found in the market or public places are tobacco products. India is ranked second in tobacco production behind China in the world and that is because of the rise in the number of people who consume it. It is indeed a tragedy that the young generation seems to have found themselves stuck in the deadly cycle of vices and addiction. In effect, tobacco is not even native to India and originated in the Americas.
Tobacco used to be consumed by army soldiers. British army soldiers later started smoking tobacco cigarettes and the addiction kept growing. In India, tobacco plants were introduced by the Portuguese. More than 4000 chemicals exist in tobacco, the most important of which is nicotine. Nicotine is the chemical that keeps one smoking and affects the small brain. Once nicotine enters the human body, it works on the person till he/she is led to a state of addiction. An addict when deprived of substances he/she is addicted to, may also suffer from depression and mental instability. People also experience irritation. All in all, tobacco addiction affects a person’s mental, domestic, social and economic background in the long run.
Tobacco consumption also has adverse effects on human bodies with cancer being the most known offshoot disease. Types of cancers related to mouth, lips, jaws, lungs, throat, stomach, kidney and bladder are caused by tobacco consumption. Tobacco is the prime reason behind the rampant rise in the cases of oral cancer in India. Chest burns, cardiac arrest, loss of physical and mental strength, disorders pertaining to blood vessels, foul mouth smell, damage to teeth are also some of the most common known diseases which are caused by tobacco. The packets of tobacco are also attractive for which youngsters fall for out of curiosity. The people from rural areas believe that tobacco prevents tooth decay but that is a myth. In fact, tobacco only weakens the human body albeit at a slow pace. Tobacco also leads to premature ageing. People who consume tobacco realise that they are ageing faster than they should, but they do not refrain from consuming the tobacco as they are too addicted to it. Hence, the ban on tobacco has to be followed strictly. The awareness regarding the same should be created right from the school level. Conducting anti-tobacco campaigns in schools, writing safety slogans on school boards, at stationary shops would help. The lectures which enlightens students regarding ill effects of tobacco, staging plays, holding rallies, anti-tobacco elocution competitions, painting competitions and rangoli competitions can be organised to offset the harm caused by tobacco. If students are taught about the bad effects of addiction right from the schools, then they will definitely grow into healthy, addiction-free and strong citizens of tomorrow.
