Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru (MS)
Bengaluru, Apr 7: The state health department, which is inspired by a new law that is implemented in New Zealand prohibiting purchasing of cigarettes or any other tobacco products by those who have been born after 2008, is trying to implement the same in Karnataka to make the state tobacco free by 2025.
By following the New Zealand model, only few people will be able to buy tobacco products, which will eventually lead to tobacco free generation.
The state tobacco control cell, which is part of the health department, has already prepared a guideline in this regard. According to the guideline, anyone who is born in and after 2007 will not be allowed to buy tobacco products throughout Karnataka.
The legal age limit to buy tobacco products is 18 years. Those who are born in 2007 and after will reach the age of 18 in 2025. After 18 years also, as per reliable source, a society free of tobacco will be formed. For example, those who are born in 2007 will be 23 years old in 2030. But they cannot buy tobacco products. So the number of tobacco users will reduce considerably as the years go by.
The main aim of this plan is to make children, who get addicted to tobacco, free of the deadly habit as per sources.
Most of the tobacco users fall into the habit when they are still adolescents. According to a world survey, in Karnataka 22.8% adults (around 2.5 crore) make use of tobacco products. Youth are the asset of our nation and the tobacco free scheme will avoid the root cause of easy availability of tobacco to children.