Every year, the second Wednesday of March marks ‘No Smoking Day’, an annual health awareness day to encourage people to quit smoking and raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco use.

In Gujarat, three out of 10 people have the habit of smoking.

The habit of daily smoking spans across 25.8% of urban areas and 39.3% of rural areas in Gujarat. Thus, the proportion of daily smokers in the state is 33.5%, according to the data from the National Family Health Survey 2019–21. 

According to this survey, 2.9% smoke in urban areas, 3.9% in rural areas, and an average of 3.5% smoke once a week.

Moreover, it has come to light that 1.1% from urban areas, 1.2% from rural areas, and an average of 1.2% smoke occasionally in a month.

Those who have never smoked are on average 69% in Gujarat’s urban areas and 54.7 in rural areas, summing up to a total of 61%.

Gujarat’s substance use control

In a bid to decrease smoking and other substance use among students and teachers, a circular has been issued by the commissioner of schools office to all district education officers (DEOs) to impose a strict ban on substance abuse by teachers in schools. 

The circular further states that there is a ban on the sale of tobacco products such as cigarettes, gutka, etc. near schools. 

However, it is currently being sold around the schools. 

There have been reports of teachers and even principals openly consuming substances in front of students. This exposure can negatively influence young people, particularly Gen Z, who are already vulnerable to substance use.

The strict implementation of the central government’s Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) 2004 is required. 

According to the provisions of this Act, an FIR can be registered under Section 188 of the IPC for any violation in an educational institution. 

The commissioner of schools office has ordered all DEOs to ensure strict implementation of the Tobacco Control Act, 2003, in all secondary and higher secondary schools in the state.

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