The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Workshop on tobacco

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Friday, Jul 24, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Workshop on tobacco

Staff Reporter

CHENNAI: All police stations in the State will soon become smoke-free zones and frequent checks will be conducted to curb violations, Commissioner of Police T. Rajendran said.

He was speaking after declaring the Police Commissioner Office, Egmore, as tobacco-free on Thursday.

Noting that there were violations of the Tobacco Control Act, he said many shop keepers have requested them to wait till the old stocks were sold and promised to introduce pictorial warnings in new stocks. Special squads, he said, would be deployed to curtail the use of tobacco near educational institutions.

Police officials participated in the sensitisation workshop, organised by the State Tobacco Control Cell and Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. Mr. Rajendran said smoking was a ‘fatal habit’ and urged the police personnel to quit smoking.

“Stress and work pressure is no excuse to continue smoking. There is a misconception that smoking cigarettes would relieve stress.” Youngsters must be told about ways to avoid smoking, as 85 per cent of smokers latch on to the habit before 18. Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine S. Elango made a presentation on the health hazards of tobacco and said the ‘Smoke-free Chennai 2010’ campaign must reach out to the masses.

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