“I have two cartons of cigarettes that I had bought at duty-free before the lockdown. Each has about 20 packets. So clearly, I can smoke whenever I want to, despite the lockdown,” says Arnab Mitra. Yet, the Delhi-based advertising professional, in his 30s, has not had one for over 70 days now. “I decided to quit, and have so far just never felt the urge to smoke.”
The temporary ban on the sale of tobacco products during the ongoing lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19 is an opportunity to reduce tobacco consumption in India, the world’s second biggest consumer, experts say. Forced to go without tobacco for over six weeks and isolated from social circles where tobacco use is common, users will find it easier to quit.
Nearly 267 million, or 29% Indians aged 15 and above, currently use tobacco in some form, as per the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS): India 2016-17 Report. Up to 199 million tobacco users in India either chew it or apply it on their gums and teeth in various forms; half that number (99 million) smoke, as per available data.
During the ongoing pandemic, a government directive on April 15, 2020, asked for a “strict ban” on the sale of “liquor, gutka, tobacco etc” for health reasons. Two of these reasons are critical, health experts say:
Since COVID-19 primarily affects lung functioning, patients who are smokers tend to need intensive care and ventilation more than non-smokers, as per the World Health Organization. Fatality rates were higher among patients with comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, chronic respiratory disease or cancer, some of which are directly related to smoking. In India, of the 480 deceased on April 18, 83% had comorbidities.
The use of chewable tobacco leads to increased production of saliva and thus the urge to spit, as an appeal from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) explained. “Spitting in public places could enhance the spread of the COVID-19 virus,” it said.
Spitting in public places has also been banned by the government and made a punishable offence under the Disaster Management Act.
