Experts want Maharashtra to ban gutkha

Maharashtra is one of the highest users of tobacco in the country with 43 per cent adult males and 19 per cent adult females addicted to it.

The findings were published in the Global Adult Tobacco Survey in Maharashtra released here on Friday.

According to the survey, the average age of daily initiation to tobacco is17.9 years in adult males and 21 years in adult females.

“Of those who use tobacco daily, 64.6 per cent consume it within half an hour of getting up. This shows the level of addiction and the adverse impact,” Director of Healis Sekhsaria Institute of Public Health, P.C. Gupta told a press conference here on Friday.

“Maharashtra's population is around 10 crore, of which 70 per cent are above 18 years of age. If around 30 per cent of them consume tobacco, at least two crore people are patronising the industry. According to studies, every third tobacco user dies prematurely. This means 66 lakh people are dying of major diseases like cancer and lung diseases,” Associate Professor, Consultant Surgical Oncology of Tata Memorial Hospital, Pankaj Chaturvedi said.

The alarming fact, Dr. Gupta said, was the age at which tobacco was being consumed had been decreasing in the State.

“Cancer has been detected at lower ages due to gutkha use by children,” he said.

Experts stressed the need for the State government to ban gutkha.

“This will benefit the State. Bihar, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh have already done it. It is the mother of all problems,” Dr. Gupta said.

Doctors said it was difficult for people to quit smoking or chewing tobacco once they were addicted.

“Still, 31 per cent users have said they want to give up tobacco. This proportion should go up,” Director of Tata Memorial Hospital, Dr. R.A. Badwe, said.