📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Arshiya Urveeja Bose
Health
Nearly Half of Meghalaya’s Population Uses Tobacco, Villages Lead Anti‑Tobacco Drive
✍️ Hub News
🗓 10 Sep 2026, 04:03 AM
👁 27
A recent survey shows that 47% of people in Meghalaya use tobacco, prompting village-level initiatives to curb the habit.
A health survey conducted across Meghalaya revealed that almost half of the state's residents – 47% – are regular tobacco users. The data, compiled by the state health department, places Meghalaya among the Indian regions with the highest tobacco consumption rates.
In response, village councils and local health workers have become the primary front line of the anti‑tobacco campaign. Community volunteers are conducting door‑to‑door awareness drives, distributing educational pamphlets, and organizing cessation support groups in remote hamlets where access to medical facilities is limited.
The Meghalaya government has pledged additional resources to bolster these grassroots efforts, including training for village health volunteers and the provision of nicotine‑replacement therapy at primary health centres. Officials acknowledge that cultural acceptance of tobacco, especially in traditional forms like chewing tobacco, remains a significant obstacle.
Health experts warn that the high prevalence of tobacco use contributes to rising rates of respiratory illnesses and oral cancers in the state. They stress that sustained community engagement, combined with stricter enforcement of existing tobacco control laws, will be essential to reverse the trend.
In response, village councils and local health workers have become the primary front line of the anti‑tobacco campaign. Community volunteers are conducting door‑to‑door awareness drives, distributing educational pamphlets, and organizing cessation support groups in remote hamlets where access to medical facilities is limited.
The Meghalaya government has pledged additional resources to bolster these grassroots efforts, including training for village health volunteers and the provision of nicotine‑replacement therapy at primary health centres. Officials acknowledge that cultural acceptance of tobacco, especially in traditional forms like chewing tobacco, remains a significant obstacle.
Health experts warn that the high prevalence of tobacco use contributes to rising rates of respiratory illnesses and oral cancers in the state. They stress that sustained community engagement, combined with stricter enforcement of existing tobacco control laws, will be essential to reverse the trend.