Manju Kaundal and Bhopesh Thakur
Tobacco plant, the most sought after weed in the world, having its roots in America has already made its appearance felt worldwide along the course of time. Regarded as a medicinal herb in the beginning, now it is held responsible for enormous sufferings and countless ailments affecting almost every system of human body. Tobacco is consumed either by smoking or chewing (smokeless). It is thought to have soothing effects on the consumer thereby making him a habitué. Nicotine, the main component present in tobacco, causes the release of neurotransmitters from the brain thereby, brings the good effect on the body and mind of the individual. But it is a temporary feeling and the person is actually pushing himself to a never ending addiction and life taking diseases including cardiovascular and pulmonary ailments. According to WHO, globally, coronary heart diseases result in around 7.3 million death annually, along with respiratory diseases (3.1 million) and lung cancers (1.6 million). Other worth mentioning health problem is the oral cancer which is very common in Indian population due to widespread habit of chewing tobacco. WHO estimates that India ranks 1st globally in death tally due to oral cancers. The health hazards due to tobacco consumption are escalating and there’s an urgent need to address this issue. Efforts are already being done in the form of advertisements to avoid tobacco but had they been enough, results would have been different. No doubt treatments are available but there are risks, therefore, other programs like cessation and de-addiction need to be promoted. People should be made aware of the consequences and efforts have to be made at local and global level. This review is a step to create awareness regarding tobacco health hazards and how they are being dealt with.
