Meghalaya has second highest smokers in Northeast

SHILLONG: Meghalaya ranks fifth with 47% tobacco-users and second with 31.6% smokers in the Northeastern region.
The state also has the highest incidence of oesophageal (food pipe) cancer in the country, revealed the Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2 (GATS) 2016-2017.
“The average monthly expenditure on cigarettes for a daily smoker is Rs 1,192. If this present pattern persists, tobacco use could cause as many as 1 billion premature deaths globally in the 21st century,” a GATS report released on the eve of World No Tobacco Day said.
“The National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) and the government in Meghalaya have taken several initiatives in implementing the programme prevent initiation of tobacco-use among youth and adults. A State Level Coordination Committee (SLCC) and a District Level Coordination Committee have been constituted comprising various stake holders from different departments,” the report said.
“However, enforcement squads and heads of education institutions have a major role to play in this endeavour. Several awareness programmes are being conducted in different schools in the city to impart knowledge about the ill effects of tobacco. Children are also encouraged to take the pledge against the use of tobacco,” the report read.
World No Tobacco Day will be observed on May 31 with the theme, “Tobacco and Lung Health”, and the main goal is to create awareness about the negative impact of tobacco on people’s lung health. “Tobacco is the world’s leading single cause of death and one of the largest preventable causes of morbidity and mortality in the world, ” the GATS survey report has cautioned.