Anti-smoking campaigns, banning of smoking in public places, education about the hazards of smoking in schools, no cigarette ads in media, no smoking by elders in front of youngsters... our readers have suggested all these and more to discourage smoking among youngsters. But what many of them have stressed on is that it is the smoker who should decide whether s/he wants to quit. The last puff should be the smoker’s choice, his/her first step towards a smoke-free life

It starts with a puff, and before you know it you are in the grip of nicotine. By smoking a single cigarette we take in hundreds of harmful chemicals. Smoking is not cool at all; instead it cools down your body system. We need to ban smoking in public and covered areas, discard fancy ads, and most importantly stop selling to minors. A law should be implemented to make loose sales illegal.

— Jushan

Some smoke thinking it reduces mental tension and some for fashion. Most youngsters have adopted the habit of smoking from their friends. To discourage teenagers from getting into this habit, there should be a strict environment at home and at school. Parents should be strict. Smoking should be totally prohibited in public places. Education on health should be given from junior classes itself so that they are aware of their health and negative impacts of smoking.

— Nisha Wagle,

Bhimsengola

Smoking is a bad habit, but not an unavoidable habit. Everybody likes ice-cream. Why not lick an ice-cream instead of puffing on a cancer stick? Friends also play an important role in helping a person quit smoking. If they can encourage smoking, then they can also easily discourage it. But most of the youngsters smoke mainly to show off. I suggest that someone or something must force people not to smoke. If people are threatened to quit smoking, surely they will, maybe not be for themselves, but for their family, his friends and society.

— SuraZ Kayastha

Smoking makes us smart, it gives us satisfaction, please friend, just try it once, and it is cool to smoke. These are persuasive styles of one friend to another friend. On the other side, the old people think smoking helps them forget painful moments. When they fall into the habit of smoking, they don’t know the harms of it. Smoking in public places is equally dangerous to other people. They take in the nicotine from the air they breathe. Many countries have imposed smoking bans in public areas. As it’s getting out of control among Nepali youngsters, the government should take it

as a serious matter and should introduce policies against it. Those smoking

in public places should be strictly punished. The

government should also charge those who sell nicotine-based products in public areas. Similarly, people who want to make society better should start campaigning against smoking in public areas.

— Santosh Ghimire

Even the coolest smoker knows that smoking is killing him. This awareness message should reach the city and rural communities. I believe in a well educated family, parents should praise youngsters for who they are. They should show that the youngsters are trusted to do the right thing and encourage them to be on the right track. The trust should be clearly delivered so that the youngster feels the strength of it.

— Suresh

To encourage and bring awareness of smoking among the young generations, some precautionary steps should be taken. These can be — banning the sale of tobacco  products  to minors (under 18); banning smoking in public areas; and banning smoking under the roof (inside any public buildings).

— Uptal Chalise, US

First, we have to stop the cigarette factories so youngsters can’t buy them. More places should be smoke free, so the people cannot smoke any where. The price of cigarette should be increased and the shopkeeper must stop selling cigarette to children because they copy what other people do.

— Bijay

I have seen that even children who are in class VII or VIII smoke. Parents often smoke in front of their children without being aware that they might imitate. I think one should be made aware about the dangers of smoking and its negative effects, starting at home and schools because these are the two places that matter the most when it comes to adopting good or bad habits by a child or youngsters.

— Bibhor, Nepalgunj

I have heard my friends say that though they know smoking is injurious to health they find it difficult to stop the habit. If they were aware of the effects of smoking before getting hooked, they would have certainly said no to smoking. So, I think awareness should start with a smoking habit course in school. Parents also play a vital role. If there is love, care and support for an individual then s/he doesn’t need a nicotine product as a soother. Awareness programmes can also be carried through the radio, television and by talks within family members about the hazardous condition that can be created by smoking. Smoking can lead to bronchitis and cancer, among many other diseases. The government should take the initiative to ban the manufacture and import of cigars and nicotine products.

— Rakshya Regmi

Normally, youngsters want to show off. They want to act like adults and behave like adults. First, cigarettes must not be allowed in public places and older family members should not smoke in front of young people. We should also make them aware about the bad impacts like lung cancer, asthma, through advertisements, face to face explanations and by using any other possible mechanism. Parents and guardians should not smoke in front of their children. Parents have to encourage their children to be involved in sports and other healthy activities.

— BM Shrestha

It’s immature to think smoking is cool. Being a former smoker, I do know that until and unless one is enlightened about the bad consequences of smoking by oneself, no one can get them to quit. Though smoking ban in public areas can restrict smokers to some extent, it can’t eliminate it. The only thing we can do is to provide awareness about smoking in schools, colleges and best of all if we can develop a policy at the government level to ban sale of cigarettes to underage children.

— Shakti Gurung, Pokhara

I think government should take the first step to create awareness and discourage youngsters from getting into the habit of smoking. The government should make the statement “Smoking is injurious to health” more effectively. The government should also not allow anymore cigarette companies to be established. Parents and society also play significant roles to create awareness and discourage youngsters from smoking. It is the responsibility of the parents to teach their children about the harmful effects

of smoking, from the age they are able to understand. Society can make youngsters aware by making antismoking posters. Other forms of communication such as television, radio, newspapers should provide education about the demerits of smoking and merits of not smoking.

— Sushobhit Pokharel

Every youngster who smokes knows its hazards. But they can’t help it. It’s very difficult for them to quit smoking. The best thing that a government can do to make people stop smoking is impose heavy taxes and custom duties on tobacco products. There are two direct impacts of these actions. One, all small scale industries that make cigarettes will automatically shut down. Two, those who want to sustain will increase their prices, and therefore youngsters who have limited pocket money will think twice before buying these things and eventually quit smoking. However, this can also increase illegal trafficking of cigarettes which must be monitored properly at the border.

— Pankaj Agrawal

One of the most important things that could be done to reduce nicotine intake among youngsters is to impose heavy taxes on cigarettes. If a single cigarette costs around Rs 100 then it becomes almost unaffordable. One who smokes around 10 sticks a day may reduce his dose to around one or two. Another major step that can be taken is to conduct awareness campaigns. Smoking in public areas must be banned.

— Saroj Bhurtel

All youngsters know the consequences of smoking. Though smoking is injurious to health, everyone smokes. Smoking is not a mistake that is made unknowingly. It is like attempting suicide on a regular basis. Many awareness programmes have been launched to reduce smoking rate. I think awareness should be developed within oneself and be determined. It is better to be an example. So if you smoke, you should quit and encourage others to do the same. Smoking does not help in impressing others, rather it decreases life span. All girls should ignore boys who smoke so that boys stop smoking to impress girls. You should also form a group in which if any member smokes, s/he should be banned to smoke in the group. Smoking should be banned in public places, price of cigarettes should be made high so that teenagers are not able to afford it. Awareness must be created to discourage smoking. Some steps that have helped me to avoid smoking are: Avoid friends company while they smoke, make satirical comments if someone smokes, even disobey elders when they ask me to buy cigarettes from market.

— Parikshya Pradhan

Habits may be good or bad, it depends on a person whether to accept it or refuse it. Like promises are easy to make, more easy to break but too difficult to keep. In the same way, bad habits are sure and certain attractive and of course easy to follow up but do they do any good for one’s health, certainly not. If a guy feels, by smoking he can impress a girl or his lover, then this is his biggest mistake. No girl wants a person who smokes. It causes long term illness too. It does no good at all. So if a person loves his life and wants to live it to the fullest, then s/he should stop smoking not of tomorrow but of now. S/he should also try discouraging others from smoking. One can try meditation, yoga, exercises which will help them get rid of smoking habit.

— Ekta Kabra,

Putalisadak

Media and films are playing vital role to push youngsters into the dark nicotine world. The image has been created that it’s cool to smoke. They want to be the real life heroes without giving a damn to their health. The government should try to discourage youngsters by organising anti smoking campaigns and ban cigarette advertising in media.

— Uncha’s Dada (Balt)

With the mentality that it’s cool to smoke in order to impress their friends as the tough ones in the group, many youngsters are getting into this habit knowingly and unknowingly. They see adults smoking and they think that it’s a grown up thing to do. They don’t really believe that cigarettes will do them any harm. Quite reasonably, they do not take heed when adults warn them about the dangers of smoking. If smoking is so dangerous, why do so many adults do it? So I want to tell elders that if you don’t want the next generation to get into this worn path, then drop the habit of smoking right now. If you can’t give up your habit, then at least don’t smoke in front of them.

— Sujan Pariyar

Even I am a victim of smoking, I have already tried to leave it eight times, but have not be able to do so. Its been 10 days since I have tried to quit — counting from Valentine’s Day because I wanted to make this Valentine special for me by doing a favour to my own health. Actually when we smoke, we are not taking cigarette but cigarette is taking our life, energy and of course our personality. I have a friend who doesn’t smoke but he never puts pressure on me not to smoke. He just asks me to decrease it gradually and then finally quit it. So, I think the best way to reduce the smoking is have presence of someone close to you who doesn’t smoke and also can also show you the right way in a practical manner.

— Shekhar KC

What’s ‘cool’ about smoking? Smoking doesn’t make you feel on the top of the world. I have tried it and didn’t find anything great about it. It’s just that you see somebody doing it and want to know the feeling one gets from it. This is the sole reason of starting smoking. ‘Nicotine from each cigarette smoked reaches the brain in seven seconds and every nicotine deposit from smoking is more potent than heroin’. Social initiatives, FM stations, creating awareness through radio and TV programmes along with newspaper articles, big hoarding boards at every nook and corner of the country can be helpful in reducing unwanted health hazards by smoking. Smoking ban in public should be implemented in Nepal. Involving NGOs and INGOs might also generate some relevant solutions for this problem.

— Romush Tuladhar