With 67.2 per cent of the total population of a little more than ten lakh consuming tobacco, Mizoram has earned the dubious distinction of the heaviest tobacco-consuming state in India.
According to data available with the Mizoram State Cancer Society, 39.7 percent of Mizos consumed tobacco in the form of cigarettes, against the national average of 14 percent while 40.7 per cent consumed other tobacco products like khaini and tuibur (tobacco-induced water).
The unique tobacco product called ‘Tuibur’, is made locally by passing smoke generated by burning tobacco through water until the preparation turns cognac in colour and has a pungent smell.
Besides this, ‘meizial’, or hand-rolled cigarettes, is also popular among women. Consumption of tobacco in the form of khaini and tuibur is prevalent among Mizo women, putting them at risk to ovarian cancer.
“Ovarian cancer has become popular among Mizo women due to heavy consumption of tobacco,” said Dr Jeremy L Pautu, director of the Mizoram State Cancer Institute.
The MSCS assessed that the annual death rate among women who smoked in the age group of 45 to 74 years was twice as high as that of those who abstained from the habit.
Aizawl, Serchhip, Lunglei, Kolasib, Champhai and Mamit districts in Mizoram are among the ten districts with highest prevalence of cancer in men while four of the districts – Aizawl, Serchhip, Kolasib, Lunglei, are among the ten district with highest prevalence of cancer in women, Dr Pautu informed.
Besides ovarian cancer, lung cancer is common among Mizo women while stomach cancer is the commonest among their male counterparts.
Not surprisingly, Mizoram spends an estimated amount of Rs 200 crore annually for buying tobacco and other tobacco products, said Lunglei the district deputy commissioner V Sapchhunga, while addressing a World No Tobacco Day function at Lunglei in southern Mizoram today.
The World No Tobacco Day observed across Mizoram today with the rest of the world saw the launching of the Blue Ribbon Campaign, a WHO programme to save lives from second-smoke. The campaign was launched simultaneously in Mizoram with chief minister Lal Thanhawla launching it at the main function at Chanmari YMA Hall here.
“Doctors say second-hand smoke accounts for more than 600 000 deaths each year around the world. Now, they have discovered that third-hand smoke, which is the contamination of the surfaces of objects that remains after the second-hand smoke has cleared. They say third-hand smoke is more hazardous,” Lal Thanhawla said.
Lal Thanhawla said that his government has decided to enact tough laws to curb the use of tobacco products. Indian Society on Tobacco & Health, Mizoram chapter president and chief minister Lal Riliana, who also addressed the function, emphasised on the hazardous effects of second-smoke to others, especially to pregnant women.
She highlighted that 98 percent of households in Mizoram are not free from second-hand smoke, and a whopping 98 percent allow people to smoke inside their houses. “As Mizoram has been declared a smoke-free state, let us all work together to make Mizoram an environment free of smoke,” she said.