Harmful habit

It is a bitter truth that a large number of young people and teenagers in our country are addicted to smoking. We can also see packets of cigarette being openly sold in markets. Although it is illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18, people in our country do not follow these rules at all. Many people also send young domestic workers to roadside kiosks to buy a packet of cigarettes. This also gives these children the liberty to buy these harmful products for themselves. Smoking cigarettes has now become a fashion statement. Groups of students get together and have smoke breaks. They do not realise that smoking is one of the primary causes of lung cancer and mouth cancer.

The serious health problems that smoking can cause are hard to imagine. Many healthy people have lost their precious lives because of this bad habit. The healthcare department must launch awareness campaign to put an end to this menace. Alternative therapies should be introduced to the people who rely on cigarettes to ease their mental or physical suffering. Concrete steps of the government are required to save the young generation of country from falling in the dark and deep hole of health problems and misery.

Ali Zain Naqvi ( Rawalpindi )