Looks like Nepal needs to roll out the anti-smoking public awareness campaigns urgently. A recent feature by The Economist shares a chart with cigarette consumption per person and Nepal is the fourth fastest growing country. Myanmar, Lebanon and Vietnam occupy the top three positions. The country noted to have the biggest decline of cigarette consumption is Hong Kong.
An Anti-Smoking Bill was previously passed in 2010 to ban smoking in restaurants, bars and other public spaces and outlaw all tobacco advertising. Unsurprisingly, this hasn’t really been put into practice on the ground. The government estimates that 15,000 people die every year due to smoking-related diseases in Nepal.
Through my observation, I’ve noted that quite a lot of the youngsters in Kathmandu smoke socially and this happens to be more or less all of the time that they are out with friends. Whatever we consume, whether its alcohol or cigarettes – the less the better. And always be considerate regarding who you are smoking around…
Read More: Nepal To Ban Smoking
