Every morning in Kashmir, cigarettes are lit on homes, shopfronts, and street corners. The habit offers a brief sense of relief while reducing health and household income.

More than one in five adults in Jammu and Kashmir uses tobacco. Small daily spending on cigarettes adds up to a significant financial loss, while the same amount directed toward saving or investing can strengthen a family’s financial future.

Tobacco use in the region ranks among the highest in India.

Between 20 and 24 percent of adults smoke regularly. Men account for most users. Districts such as Kupwara show consistently high smoking rates.

Research from conflict-affected areas shows children starting at younger ages. Social stress, unemployment, and political tensions influence young people toward early tobacco use.

Tobacco habits shape public health and influence the productivity and longevity of youth.

The financial toll of cigarettes compounds silently but dramatically.

A pack may feel like a small, routine purchase, but over weeks, months, and years, the sums grow fast.

National studies put India’s economic loss from tobacco at more than one percent of GDP each........

© Kashmir Observer