Let's make the world tobacco-free

May 31st is the international 'Tobacco-Free Day.' The tobacco plant's dry leaves are commonly known as tobacco, and when ignited, these leaves become drug substances. Cigarettes, bidis, hookahs, and weed are made from tobacco leaves. Additionally, drugs such as heroin, wine, opium, and yaba are also classified as addictive substances. Drug addiction has a significant detrimental impact on human life. Initially, it attacks people's physical health and gradually affects mental health, social life, professional life, and marital life.
All forms of drug addiction, particularly tobacco use, attack our heart, lungs, liver, trachea, and bronchi. Tobacco addiction can lead to lung cancer, liver cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and many other diseases. It also causes a loss of appetite, sexual diseases, physical weakness, depression, and anxiety. If a family member is addicted to drugs, the family's well-being turns fragile. Drug addiction causes financial instability, mental disorganisation, and negatively impacts children's mental and social development. Not only does it harm to the addicted individuals' life but also health of those around them. Nonsmokers who inhale secondhand smoke are affected by chemicals contained in the smoke. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are over 7,000 chemicals found in tobacco smoke. In all, at least 69 are cancerous. Over 250 are harmful in other ways.
When a population develops habits of smoking, its health, financial stability, social stability, and youth development are all threatened. Developing countries, in particular, are severely affected by this issue. Addressing this problem is crucial. Although it may not be possible to eliminate it entirely, the government must strictly implement tobacco control law and drastically increase tax on tobacco. Both the government and the public must work together to address this growing menace.
Let us aim for a world free of tobacco and other drugs. Living and progressing together in a toxin-free world is wonderful.

Zariatul Hafsa
Student
Institute of Social Welfare and Research
University of Dhaka
[email protected]