Saqib Rather
Srinagar, Sep 2: For some young people, tobacco begins as curiosity—a cigarette shared among friends, a bidi tried in secret or a tobacco product picked up because others are using it. What starts casually can become a habit that is difficult to leave behind.
Official data show that tobacco use among young people remains a significant health concern in Jammu and Kashmir. The Global Youth Tobacco Survey-4 (GYTS-4), conducted in 2019 among students aged 13–15, found that 11.2 per cent of students surveyed in Jammu and Kashmir reported current use of any tobacco product. The figure included 8.1 per cent reporting current cigarette use, 2.7 per cent bidi use and 1.9 per cent smokeless tobacco use.
The survey covered 1,256 students in Jammu and Kashmir. Because the data are from 2019, they should not be treated as a measurement of tobacco use among Kashmiri teenagers today.
“The important point is that tobacco use can begin at an age when young people may not fully understand how difficult dependence can become,” said Dr. Riyaz Khan, Consultant Physician. “Prevention and early counselling are therefore extremely important.”
The health consequences are not limited to the distant future. India’s National Tobacco Control Programme identifies tobacco as a major risk factor for cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic lung disease and stroke.
Doctors say young people can be influenced by friends, family members, social environments and the perception that tobacco use is a sign of maturity or confidence.
“For many adolescents, the first exposure happens because tobacco is normalised around them,” said Dr. Parvaiz Ahmad, Paediatrician. “The earlier we challenge that normalisation, the better the chance of preventing regular use.”
The problem is not restricted to cigarettes. Smokeless tobacco products also carry health risks, while India’s tobacco-control programme prohibits the sale of tobacco products to people below 18 years of age and prohibits their sale within 100 yards of educational institutions.
For parents, warning signs may not always be obvious. A sudden change in friends, spending patterns or behaviour does not necessarily indicate tobacco use, but health professionals say parents should maintain open conversations with teenagers rather than relying only on punishment.
“A teenager is more likely to speak honestly when the conversation begins with listening rather than accusation,” said Saima Jaan, School Counsellor. “Parents should explain the health risks and create an environment where a young person can ask questions without immediately fearing punishment.”
Schools also have a role to play. The National Tobacco Control Programme promotes tobacco-free educational institutions and awareness activities. Official programme data list 147 tobacco-control information, education and communication activities in Kashmir Division and 150 educational institutions in Jammu Division as declared tobacco-free under the relevant guidelines in the reported period.
For a young person already using tobacco, health experts say quitting early is far better than waiting for health problems to appear.
“There is no safe age at which tobacco suddenly becomes harmless,” said Dr. Suman Khan, Public Health Specialist. “If a young person has started using tobacco, the right response is to provide support to stop rather than treating the habit as something inevitable.”
The National Tobacco Control Programme provides a toll-free tobacco-cessation helpline at 1800-11-2356.
The challenge for Kashmir is therefore not simply keeping cigarettes away from school gates. It is changing the idea that tobacco is a harmless experiment of youth. Because for many teenagers, the most important tobacco-related decision may happen long before a health problem appears: whether the first puff remains the last one.
