Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore   

Students against tobacco

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE March 6. After on-line lotteries, it is the turn of tobacco and its products, to come under fire. And it is students here who are leading the campaign.

They want the Government to ban the making and selling of chewed tobacco. They have also called for support for the global ``Framework Convention for Tobacco Control", being worked out at the World Health Organisation.

As many as 1,801 students have written to B.K.Chandrashekar, Minister of State for Primary and Secondary Education in the Krishna Cabinet.

Under the umbrella of Consortium for Tobacco Free Karnataka, the students point out that the State is one of the biggest producers/processor, user/exporter of tobacco.

The weed has already got over eight million addicted, including over 60,000 children under 15.

An equal number aged 15 to 24 get hooked every year, says the Consortium.

While 75 per cent use beedis, the others use cigarettes, chewed tobacco gutkha, paan masala, etc.

Not only does tobacco contain nicotine and other chemicals, which cause addiction, it has poisonous gases such as hydrogen cyanide, sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide that affect the reproductive health of both men and women.

Further, tobacco can cause heart and lung diseases and dangerously affect other organs. Treatment costs large sums of public and private money — making both the family and the State poor. Besides, when women are passive smokers in pregnancy, it can retard the growth of the foetus or cause abortions.

The students want the State to strictly implement the ban on smoking in public places and transport, educational/health institutions. They also want a ban on advertisements for tobacco products focused on students and children.

They point out that if, areas under tobacco cultivation are used for other crops, less tress will be cut to be used as fuel for curing tobacco. Besides, tobacco products are taxed more, the extra money can be used to promote health, the students add.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• "We have power to change location of bus shelters"
• BMTC introduces Best Depot awards
• Conference on dalits tomorrow
• Biotech meet to be bigger this time
• Award for Mudra
• `Shuchi Mitras' make a difference
• Students against tobacco

Copyright © 2003, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu