‘Smoking kills thousands in Pakistan annually’

Speakers highlight dangers of smoking particularly among students

Speakers at a seminar on Wednesday cautioned that use of tobacco, the silent killer, had become an epidemic which takes the lives of over 150,000 people annually in Pakistan due to smoking-related diseases.

An awareness session on drug abuse was held at the New Senate Hall, University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF). The seminar was arranged by the UAF Senior Tutor Office in collaboration with Rotary Club.

Chairing the session UAF Vice Chancellor Dr Muhammad Ashraf called for enhancing efforts to eliminate drug addiction menace from society. He said teachers and students should accept the responsibility of changing the behaviour of drug addicts to keep them away from the life endangering intakes.

He expressed his concerns that shisha had become very popular in the youth as they were using it without knowing the dangers associated with it. “In shisha, tobacco is mixed with certain flavours and its smoke contains hundreds of potentially dangerous substances, including nicotine, charcoal, cobalt, chromium and others,” he said.

Senior Tutor Dr Athar Javed stressed the need for promoting healthy activities in the youth to fight the challenge. He said university had taken tangible steps to eradicate the menace from the campus. He said smoking and sale of cigarette was strictly banned in the campus.

Public Health Specialist Dr Noorul Zaman Rafiq said the drug addiction was sucking the blood of our society and not only the addicts but the entire family also suffer from severe mental and financial stress. He stressed upon the need to play a vital role in sensitising addicts to the harmful effects of drug use.

Faisalabad Rotary Club President Aslam Butt said the awareness about the effects of drugs addiction was essential to end the menace. He said the culprits promoting used of drugs must be brought to the book.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2^nd, 2019.