Angela Onwuzoo
As Nigeria join the rest of the world to mark the 2023 World No Tobacco Day, medical experts have decried tobacco use among youths in the country, stressing that it has assumed a frightening dimension.
They also noted that aside from tobacco, many now use Indian hemp to cook rice and soup to get an all-time high.
The experts cautioned the youths to desist from the destructive act, stressing that besides destroying vital organs in the body like the liver and the lungs, Indian hemp increases three times the risk of mental health problems.
The senior health professional who spoke exclusively to Reportr Door Health Wise in commemoration of the day urged the Federal Government to increase excise tax on tobacco products to deter people from tobacco use.
World No Tobacco Day is celebrated every year on May 31, to educate the public on the dangers of using tobacco, the business practices of tobacco companies and what the World Health Organisation is doing to fight the tobacco epidemic.
The day is also used to raise awareness on what people around the world can do to claim their right to health and healthy living and to protect future generations.
This year’s theme is ‘Grow Food, Not Tobacco.’
Speaking with our correspondent, a Consultant Pathologist, Dr. Michael Ajala, said tobacco use affects every organ of the body, warning that tobacco use aggravates asthma.
Reeling out the dangers of tobacco use on health, the pathologist said, “Tobacco use decreases the oxygen in the lungs that are available for consumption. It causes chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. It has been implicated as worsening diabetes mellitus.
“In men, for instance, tobacco use causes erectile dysfunction. It has been linked to so many cancers such as cancer of the bladder, uterus, breast, throat and lungs. That is why taking tobacco is a very terrible thing.”
Dr. Ajala, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Help Diagnostics and Checkup Services, Lagos, also said that tobacco use leads to liver damage and preterm birth.
“Many adolescents from the age of 17 years not only smoke hemp, they now plant Indian hemp and marijuana in their houses. They cook rice and soup with it.
“It is a common practice among young people out there. As tobacco is common, so is Indian hemp and marijuana. The youths are into drug use and the truth is that these drugs are destroying their lives. Tobacco use reduces life expectancy.”
He called on the government and relevant stakeholders to increase awareness on the dangers of tobacco use, while also urging the Federal Government to place heavy tax on tobacco products to discourage people from using them.
The World Health Organisation says there is a rise in the number of tobacco users in the African region due to the increased production of tobacco products and aggressive marketing by the tobacco industry.
According to the global body, while the number of people using tobacco products is decreasing in other parts of the world, it is rising in the Africa Region.
In her message to commemorate the day, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, who disclosed this said, “For example, the number of tobacco users in the WHO African Region increased from an estimated 64 million adult users in 2000 to 73 million in 2018.”
A Consultant Psychiatrist, Drug Abuse Unit, Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Aro, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Dr. Sunday Amosu, told our correspondent that Indian hemp is the most common illicit substance of abuse in Africa, West Africa, the whole world and Nigeria inclusive.
“And we know that cannabis increases three times the risk of having mental health problems. Cannabis which is Indian hemp is the common illicit substance of abuse in Africa, West Africa, the whole world and Nigeria inclusive.
“This is partly due to the increased production of tobacco products as well as aggressive marketing by the tobacco industry.
“And we know that cannabis increases three times the risk of having mental health problems.”
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