MANY AMONG us were and still are under the impression that chewing dry tobacco leaves or Zarda is not as harmful as smoking cigarettes. This is a wrong notion as chewing tobacco is equally harmful for health if not more and a cause of mouth cancer.
Chewing tobacco is a type of smokeless tobacco product consumed through mouth between the cheek and gum or upper lip. Unlike dipping tobacco, it is not ground and must be manually crushed with the teeth to release flavour and nicotine. It produces unwanted juices that need to be spat. This had been an age old practice for some people mostly inhabiting the rural areas.
Overall, tobacco in different forms had been one of the main causes of thousand of deaths around the world every year. Sadly, while number of tobacco users has been declining in the developed world, the situation in poor and developing countries as that of ours and shows a reverse and a rising trend. As already mentioned, tobacco is being used in many forms in the subcontinent. While any form of tobacco use is equally destructive, unfortunately very little attention is being given to publicity campaigns at both the government and NGO levels prohibiting the use of chewing tobacco. Fight against all kinds of tobacco addiction should be on top of our health agenda.
I sincerely hope the government will take necessary steps immediately in line with the actions being taken against cigarettes. We need to create a widespread awareness among the people by highlighting the damages inflicted by chewing tobacco.
Afzal Hossain
Moulvibazar, Dhaka
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