77 per cent of Mizos use tobacco

Aizawl, Sept 5(UNI) Mozoram tops the list of tobacco users with about 77 per cent of of the Mizoram population using tobacco in one form or the other.

The students in Mizoram are also found to be heavy users of tobacco as about 54 per cent of them have been said to be habitual smokers who publicly smoked cigarettes.

This was stated by Dr Jane R Ralte, an officer-in-charge of the Aizawl Civil Hospital's tobacco cessation clinic, while giving a keynote address at a state-level workshop on tobacco meant for law enforcers and NGOs personnel today.

Speaking at the inauguration function here, health department commissioner J C Ramthanga said, ''it is high time we declare war on tobacco.'' '' That we (Mizos) top the country in four different types of cancer is not a thing to be proud of,'' he said.

The Mizoram government has recently imposed the Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Rules. Under section 4 of the Rules, several officers have been authorised to enforce the rules in their assigned jurisdictions.

UNI ZS KK DB1641