Opinion | Why should Non-Smokers Worry about Second-Hand and Readymade Smoke?

A Plant with leaves that have high levels of the addictive chemical nicotine. After harvesting, tobacco leaves are cured, aged, and processed in various ways. The resulting products may be smoked (in cigarettes, cigars, and pipes), applied to the gums (as dipping and chewing tobacco), or inhaled (as Snuff).

This Year, the World No Tobacco Day Theme is “Protecting Children From Tobacco Industry Interference.” The theme advocates for an end to the targeting of youth with dangerous tobacco products. The theme’s motive is to raise attention to the tobacco industry’s predatory techniques, which target young individuals to maximize profits over time.
Around the world, about 35 lakh hectares of land are used for tobacco farming annually. The annual deforestation caused by tobacco farming is estimated at 2 lakh hectares.
Smoking is becoming a worldwide epidemic. Globally there are 1.25 billion adult tobacco users, according to the latest estimates in the World Health Organization (WHO) tobacco trends report. Trends show a continued decline in tobacco use rates globally. With about 1 in 5 adults worldwide consuming tobacco compared to 1 in 3 in 2000. They are wasting more or less 20 percent of their total income on smoking, which is equivalent to buying not only trouble but also many diseases by spending money. Due to this bad habit, they become a morsel of death. In the light of these figures, health experts have expressed concern that if this rate of smoking is not controlled, it may become the total of AIDS, TB, maternal deaths and accidental deaths.
These smokers destroy their own health, the harmful effects of this cause also affect the environment and the people around them. In the medical term, the term passive smoking is used for this. , while some experts also call it “Second-Hand Smoke”, that is, not smoking directly, but being exposed to Second-Hand Smoke. For example, a person smokes in a place where many people are present, by breathing in such an environment, cigarette smoke affects the lungs of those people who do not smoke tobacco themselves, because the whole atmosphere is polluted by the smoke of smokers and almost the same diseases are caused by it. They are very aggressive, directly affecting smokers. For example, if the smoker is placed near a newborn baby, it can cause sudden suffocation and death. They can have severe side effects on the respiratory system, ears and nose, If administered to adults, they can have an asthma attack. They are more likely to suffer from lung cancer and heart disease. Therefore, every smoker should focus on getting rid of this cause as soon as possible, and in this context, efforts should be made at the collective and individual levels.
As for individual approaches, first do Your Own counselling for smoking cessation. For this, You should stand in front of the mirror several times a day and repeat the phrase, “I have to get rid of this cause” and then engage Yourself in any positive activity. For example, read a book, write something. Watch TV, chat with your family members. You can also get help from Your friends and family in this regard, then avoid the company of such people or gatherings where there is a tendency to smoke or drink alcohol. If someone offers You a cigarette, refuse it firmly. It is better to consult an experienced physician and then strictly follow the smoking cessation schedule as directed by him. Educate the public about the benefits of quitting smoking. Remember, no strategy, no policy to protect against the harmful effects of smoking can work until every crowded and confined space is protected from cigarette smoke.
People who are having trouble quitting smoking can also use some tried and tested methods, such as chewing gum, nicotine lozenges, inhalers, nasal sprays, etc., as well as group therapy and hypnosis. Etc. are also effective methods in this regard. Remember, following a few things is indispensable for quitting smoking. For example, mental willingness, determination, personal effort, and society’s cooperation. In the beginning, the process of quitting smoking will feel very difficult, but if You continue to try with courage, You can get rid of this addiction. A very important and effective role in this campaign can be played by religious leaders, scholars, speakers and Remembrancers. If they highlight the evils, disadvantages and harms of smoking in religious gatherings from religious and religious contexts.
Thanks to fasting in Ramadan, while many minor disorders can be easily controlled, there can also be relief from many causes. Since one does not eat or drink anything throughout the day, and in the state of fasting, the whole day easily passes without smoking, so if a little effort is made in the little time left after breaking the fast, with a strong intention, then You can get rid of this cause. After quitting Smoking heart rate returns to normal and body temperature also moderates. After eight hours, the level of carbon monoxide decreases to normal and the level of oxygen in the blood starts to improve again. After 24 hours, the risk of heart attack decreases. After 48 hours, the ability to smell and taste improves, and walking becomes normal. After two weeks to three months, blood circulation improves and lung function improves by thirty percent. After one to nine months, symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, chest congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease. After one year, the risk of heart disease is halved. After five years, the risk of heart attack is almost zero, and after ten years the rate of lung cancer is reduced by fifty percent. The chances of mouth, throat, alimentary tract, kidney and bladder cancer are also reduced to a minimum. Amid the huge tobacco burden in rural areas, the Health Department Kashmir has taken an initiative to install signages and implement Tobacco Free Educational Institutions (ToFEI) guidelines in all schools in the valley to prevent initiation of tobacco use.
(Writer is a Columnist and a Teacher By Profession and Can be Contacted on mukhtar.qur@gmail.com )