E-cigarettes, nicotine patches do not help quit smoking, says experts

GUWAHATI: Cancer experts have raised doubts on the effectiveness of alternative nicotine products like e-cigarettes and nicotine patches to help quit smoking. They feel these are nothing but fancy marketing gimmicks of consumerism.
On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day on Saturday, experts have advised tobacco consumers to exercise greater will power and increase self determination to quit smoking.
Chances are high that the users of such alternative products will take to real smoking in a short time. "Young people should turn to spirituality to overcome this habit. We have a tobacco cessation clinic here where smokers are given a therapy," said Amal Chandra Kataki, director, Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute here at programme on Saturday.
Nowadays online portals provide a variety of e-cigarettes and a section of smokers buy those. E-cigarettes, also known as Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS), are battery operated devices that help a smoker get the feel of tobacco puff.
Northeast is considered as the cancer capital of the country. Cancer specialists have stressed on the proper enforcement of the Assam Health (Prohibition of manufacturing, advertisement, trade, storage, distribution, sale and consumption of zarda, gutkha, pan masala containing tobacco and/or nicotine) Act before the situation goes out of control.
Compared to the national average of 110 cancer patients per one lakh population, the northeast has 150 people with cancer per one lakh population. In Mizoram, the ratio is 270 per one lakh population. East Khasi Hills and Kamrup (Urban) have the highest number of throat cancer patients in the world.
"Owing to stringent liquor prohibition in Mizoram, people depend on tobacco. Cancer not just kills the victims but also destroys their families," said Ashok Kumar Das, associate professor (head and neck oncology department) at Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute.
Assam became the first state in the country to come up with legislation banning all forms of tobacco in February this year. But the law is widely flouted with most of the shops selling all kinds of tobacco products. This year, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a campaign named 'Raise Taxes on Tobacco Products' against tobacco consumption.
"We have collected above 30,000 signatures to press for a hike in taxes on tobacco. Higher taxes on tobacco brings down its consumption," said Samiran Baruah, district nodal officer District Tobacco Control Cell.