Editorial . . . . . . . 

According to the WHO reports, tobacco kills approximately 7 million people per year. Estimates show that by 2050, the worldwide mortality toll from tobacco-related illnesses will have risen to 10 million people per year. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the major causes of mortality worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure account for around 12% of all heart disease deaths. After high blood pressure, tobacco use is the second greatest cause of heart disease. Despite the acknowledged effects of tobacco on heart health and the availability of remedies to minimize related death and disease, tobacco is still one of the primary causes of CVD among a huge portion of the population.

Tobacco use raises the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), heart attacks, hypertensive heart disease, stroke, and peripheral arterial disease (PAD), among other things. Tobacco eschewing or smoking damages blood vessels elevates blood pressure briefly and reduces exercise tolerance. Tobacco increases the likelihood of blood clotting. Blood clots in the arteries can also lead to a variety of heart problems, including a stroke or sudden death. Although chewing tobacco or snuff is less harmful than smoking tobacco, long-term use can lead to serious heart issues. Tobacco use, such as cigarettes, cigars, and pipes, as well as shisha (hookah), has a detrimental effect on our cardiovascular health. Tobacco use triples your chances of dying from heart disease. Every cigarette we smoke and/or shisha session we have increases our risk of heart disease. The overall volume of smoke breathed during an hour-long session of shisha is similar to smoking 100 to 150 cigarettes, according to the WHO. Tobacco smoking is directly responsible for around 30% of all heart disease fatalities globally. Despite popular belief, smoking-related heart disease kills more people each year than smoking-related lung cancer. There is no such thing as a safe level of smoking when it comes to preventing heart disease. Even smoking raises the risk of heart disease on occasion. People who stop smoking have a significantly lower risk of dying from heart disease. Almost soon, the body begins to restore itself. No matter how long or how much one smokes, as soon as one stops, one will reap the benefits. People who already have heart disease may benefit from quitting smoking. There are problems linked with exposure to sidestream smoke, also known as passive smoking or environmental tobacco smoke, in addition to the heart health risks of mainstream cigarette smoking (ETS). ETS has been linked to an increased risk of ischemic heart disease and myocardial infarction in studies. Non-smokers who live with or near smokers are 30 percent more likely to get heart disease.

In India, the prevalence of tobacco-related cardiac disease and death is high. In India, expenditures expended in healthcare to address tobacco-related cardiac problems have resulted in a major economic burden. Aside from the direct costs of treatment, the indirect costs of lost productivity, premature death, and the loss of working family members, among other things, are a heavier burden on the nation. In India, smoking has become the most easily identified risk factor for heart attacks among young people. According to a survey from the AIIMS in New Delhi, 76 percent of young heart attack victims in India are smokers. Because tobacco-related heart disease can be avoided by quitting smoking, the government and NGOs should provide medical (such as nicotine replacement treatment, behavioural therapy, and so on) and social assistance to smokers who want to quit. To avoid tobacco-related heart disease and mortality, one should try to quit smoking on one’s own. The government must create totally smoke-free indoor public areas, workplaces, and public transportation to safeguard individuals from tobacco smoke exposure.

The government should enact tougher anti-tobacco legislation, including a complete prohibition on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship. Tobacco taxes should be raised to make it more expensive. The need of the hour is for aggressive advertisements that focus on the health risks of tobacco use while also emphasizing the numerous benefits of quitting the habit. Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir (DHSK) has issued a blanket ban on the sale and usage of tobacco products at all stations of the Amarnath Yatra and the government will provide full support to make the Amarnath Ji Yatra a “tobacco-free Yatra” by distributing IEC materials such as posters, banners, and other materials at key points along the route, holding awareness/counseling camps, providing cessation facilities to aid tobacco cessation, and enforcing the COTPA-2003 (Challaning Activity) as per reports, a welcome gesture. It is important to note that J&K was a pioneer in having the sale of e-cigarettes prohibited across the region. Adding more, the Lt Governor UT of Jammu and Kashmir emphasized the strong implementation of all relevant regulations aimed at deterring the use of cigarettes and other tobacco products, particularly among children and young people, as well as raising public awareness about the life-threatening hazards associated with smoking and tobacco use, needs to be appreciated for his concern on this important issue involving the health of present and future generation.