Since 1988 31st May has been observed annually as the World No Tobacco Day and is the only global event established to call attention to tobacco use on public health and reduce individual tobacco-dependence.
There is a strong social and cultural influence that entices young people into becoming smokers. Tobacco manufacturers make liberal use of lifestyle advertising, sports sponsorship and popular role models to convey the message that smoking is ‘cool’. In spite of the clear, unambiguous evidence accumulated on the damage that tobacco causes, a large proportion of policy makers are still unconvinced about the need to control tobacco advertising.
The developed countries have been cracking down on tobacco companies and have been passing increasingly strict legislation on what they can do, both by way of product formulation and by way of advertising. Laws are coming into force to block tobacco advertising. In 1997, the European Parliament approved a Directive banning all forms of tobacco publicity, promotion and event sponsorship. The Directive set a timetable for elimination of advertising and sponsorship, with a special provision for international sporting events currently funded by the tobacco industry. These must be phased out by 2006. Sale of cigarettes to those below 18 is already prohibited in most developed countries. As they see their markets in the west shrink, major tobacco companies are now setting their sights on developing countries, where legislation is not as stringent. In general, advertising control is extremely lax. Only a voluntary code to regulate advertising by the tobacco industry has come through so far. Coming into effect from October 1st, 1998, it attempts to ban public personalities from endorsing tobacco products and disallows ads that attribute a better life to the intake of tobacco. The code also seeks to clamp down on surrogate ads, like cricket gear. Unfortunately, the code has proved ineffective, as the organisation that drafted it, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), is a self regulatory body with no powers to enforce the code by punishing offenders.
In spite of protests by health activists, hoardings have become larger and larger, while statutory warnings remain their original size and are painted in the same colour as the background, which make them almost invisible. In the West, tobacco is consumed largely in the form of cigarettes, cigars and pipes. In India, however, there are a number of additional forms in which tobacco is consumed, for example, gutkha, pan masala, masheri, snuff and tobacco toothpaste. Still, some headway is being made. This year, the Kerala High Court banned smoking in all public places in the state and directed the district administration to enforce the order with immediate effect. In a major breakthrough, tobacco ads have been banned in all public places in Delhi. In 1990, the Indian government issued an executive order prohibiting smoking in all health care establishments, government offices, educational institutions, air-conditioned railway cars, chair cars, buses and domestic passenger flights. Indian Airlines has also banned smoking on its international flights to UK, Europe and America. Recently, in some states smoking within 100 metres of educational institutions has been prohibited. However enforcement of these laws leaves much to be desired. There is clearly a need for health information, which can lead to ant-tobacco social norms and attitudes, anti-tobacco policies and non-smoking among a higher proportion of the public.
CPAA is working towards this end in a number of ways. World No-Tobacco Day is commemorated every year in the form of lectures, camps and rallies all over the country.
Statistics show that every year 8,00,000 new cancer cases are registered - 3,20,000 of which are suffering from Head and Neck cancers largely attributed to tobacco habits. While, tobacco claims about 4.9 million deaths annually globally, an alarming 1 million of them are from India. Every year on this day we try to create awareness about this emerging epidemic by highlighting the ill-effects of tobacco consumption via hoardings, banners, posters, advertisements and various other programs along-with raising funds for the already affected cancer patients and their families. Year after year the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have supported our programs to fight the battle against tobacco and the emerging epidemic…cancer. In conjunction with the various programs, we also organise free ENT - Cancer screening camp all over the city at various sites for the general public.
From recent reports it is evident that the programmes need to cater to a new group, children and young adults. There is a frightening increase in tobacco consumption trends in this age group and relentless targeting of these youngsters by tobacco companies and advertising agencies has resulted in their being duped into making uninformed choices. Young adults have been reached with the help of the National Social Service (NSS) Programme Officers Training Project of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). Programmes are held at colleges all over Mumbai. Regular awareness and screening programmes are also being held for street children and children of commercial sex workers. Our Early Detection and Awareness lectures regularly cover the dangers associated with tobacco abuse. We reach out to smokeless tobacco users via the Anti-Gutkha Campaign. In a major initiative, a number of schools are being visited during the current academic year to talk about tobacco abuse in general and gutkha abuse in particular.
