Date:28/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/28/stories/2008122859640400.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Cessation clinics planned in PHCs to help smokers overcome addiction

Staff Reporter

— Photo: B.Jothi Ramalingam

SPREADING A MESSAGE: A skit on perils of smoking organised by the State Tobacco Control Cell in Chennai on Saturday.

CHENNAI: The State Tobacco Control Cell of the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine conducted an advocacy workshop on tobacco control for traders here on Saturday.

Addressing the meeting, Director of Public Health S. Elango said that the department was planning to set up cessation clinics in all Primary Health Centres to help smokers overcome their addiction.

“In India, 2,500 people die every day due to tobacco-related illnesses. Youngsters are increasingly taking to smoking as it is considered fashionable,” he said.

The Tobacco Control Act prohibits sale of tobacco products to and by minors. It also discourages smoking in public places as defined in the Act.

The Act also prohibits sale of tobacco products in the vicinity of educational institutions.

The liability of enforcing the no-smoking ban is on the owners of the respective public places, senior health officer T.S. Selvavinayagam said.

Thus, at bus stops the ban on smoking had to be enforced by the local body concerned and so on.

A total of 50 traders and petty shop owners, mostly from Perambur, turned up for the workshop aimed at getting the traders across the city play a proactive role in effectively implementing the Tobacco Control Act.

Tamilnadu Vanigar Sangankalin Peravai president T. Vellaiyan said, “We will ask the shopkeepers to put up anti-smoking posters in the shop if they agree to it.”

He said that it was more important to reach out to manufacturers of tobacco products and the vulnerable youth likely to get addicted in order to discourage smoking.

Responding to a query, Mr. Elango said that the department had earned over Rs.7 lakh as fine from those who were found smoking in public places. However, he agreed that effective implementation of the law was possible only if the public, shopkeepers and officials in charge of the public places cooperate.

“After all, the Act is meant to bring about behavioural change towards smoking in the long run. We cannot criminalise those using or selling tobacco products,” he said.

The workshop was concluded by artists performing a skit to highlight the ill-effects of smoking.