No Smoking Day is observed   every year on the second Wednesday of March, to encourage people to quit smoking.

This year, No Smoking Day, will be celebrated on March 10, 2021.

The day is about to help family and friends suffering from nicotine addiction.

Smoking or chewing tobacco is one of the worst habits one can adopt. The health risks are known to all but still thousands of youth, between 12 to 17 years of age, start smoking each day. Some start it out of curiosity and others might just want to look like grownups.

Effects of Smoking:

• Cough and throat irritation
• Bad breath and bad smelling clothes
• Patchy skin and discoloration of teeth
• Serious fetal conditions
• Heart diseases and Lung cancer

Over the time, more serious conditions may develop, including health problems like heart disease, bronchitis, pneumonia, stroke, and many types of cancer, out of which, oral cancer being quite common.

No matter what your age is or how long you've been smoking, your health benefits will begin as soon as you quit.

In order to quit smoking, firstly you need to be firm that you want to quit smoking. Once decided, do not be lured by others. It is very hard to quit smoking; after all, the nicotine in cigarettes is a powerful addictive drug. But with the right approach, you can do it. You'll need   lot of patience and, yes, willpower to quit this habit. It won’t go in a day and it will gradually improve.

If you want to quit tobacco but are confused how to do it, join m-cessation programme of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).

Any tobacco user willing to quit tobacco can give a missed call on 011-22901701 for registration. You can also e-register yourself by filling your mobile number and e mail ID through http://www.nhp.gov.in/quit-tobacco.

Thereafter, a two-way SMS process begins, wherein the registered user will be sent a welcome   QUITNOW SMS, immediately from the short-code allocated through National Informatics Centre viz.5616115. This will be followed by more SMSs, some of which will request reply back. An exclusive email ID “quittobacco@gov.in’ has been formulated for purposes of sending mailers for promotion of the project as well as to inform people at large regarding the ill effects of tobacco use at regular intervals.

Where is a will, there is a way, If you decide to quit, here are some ways to manage your craving.

Click here to support your oath.

Government Initiatives:

The Government of India enacted various legislations and comprehensive tobacco control measures.

1. It enacted the Cigarettes Act (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) in 1975.The statutory warning “cigarette smoking is injurious to health” was mandatorily displayed on all cigarette packages, cartons and advertisements of cigarettes.
2. India adapted the WHO Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (FCTC) and passed the “Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce Production, Supply and Distribution)” Act in 2003.
3. The National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India in 2007- 08 to bring about greater awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco use and about the Tobacco Control Laws and to facilitate effective implementation of the Tobacco Control Laws. (COTPA 2003)
4.  The Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Second Amendment Rules, 2018 includes textual health warning “TOBACCO CAUSES CANCER” and two images of health warning and the words “QUIT TODAY CALL 1800-11-2356” on packets of tobacco products.
5. Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules 2020, Second Amendment Rules, 2020, and Third Amendment Rules,2020-See at http://ntcp.nhp.gov.in/cigarettes_and_other_tobacco_products

Know about National Tobacco Control programme at http://ntcp.nhp.gov.in/

References-

https://main.mohfw.gov.in/major-programmes/other-national-health-programmes/national-tobacco-control-programme-ntcp

http://ntcp.nhp.gov.in/