FROM TEA STALLS TO TUMOURS, TOBACCO AFFORDABILITY FUELLING CANCER EPIDEMIC IN INDIA

India ranks first globally in male cancer incidence and mortality rates.

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Among tobacco-related cancers in males, lung cancer leads globally, while in India, lip and oral cancers top the list, followed by lung cancer

"Sutta breaks" are common in India. A glass of tea and a cigarette constitute the popular "chai-sutta." Sandeep, a young marketing executive, says, "It's time to take a break from work stress and make connections. The chai-sutta break is where ideas flow as freely as the smoke." Not surprisingly, workplaces are common settings where non-smokers are involuntarily exposed to second-hand smoke.

Tobacco use in India: a growing concern

According to GATS2 data, nearly 42% of men and 14% of women in India use tobacco. Home to 70% of the world's smokeless tobacco (SLT) users, SLT is preferred over smoked tobacco. In smoked tobacco, the bidi is favored over cigarettes, especially in rural and low-income groups. Despite the preference for bidis, India has seen the largest increase in the market share of cigarettes globally.

Rajesh, a shopkeeper in Mulshi, a village near Pune, commented, "Bidis are what people here can afford. Cigarettes are for the city folks. But now even in villages, people want to try cigarettes because they think it's modern."

Both SLT and smoked tobacco drastically increase cancer risk, particularly for lung, head, neck, stomach, and pancreatic cancers. "My uncle chewed tobacco for years," said Sunita, a homemaker from Maharashtra. "He passed away from mouth cancer, and we didn't realise how dangerous it was until it was too late."

India ranks first globally in male cancer incidence and mortality rates. Among tobacco-related cancers in males, lung cancer leads globally, while in India, lip and oral cancers top the list, followed by lung cancer. "Every time I see someone with a gutkha pouch in their pocket, I feel like warning them," said Manish, a college student whose father succumbed to oral cancer. Clearly, the ban on gutkha in India has been unsuccessful.