Concerned over some parliamentarians' demand to scrap the restrictions on sale of tobacco products near schools and colleges, a voluntary organisation here has appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh not to take steps that would affect youngsters.

"A small group of MPs (Members of Parliament) has conveyed a demand to the Prime Minister's Office to do away with the restriction on sale of tobacco products within 100 yards of educational institutes, citing impact on petty shopkeepers and traders," said K. Srinath Reddy, president of Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI).

"However, diluting the existing provisions will make children and youth more vulnerable to the harmful effects of tobacco use," he said.

"By permitting sale of tobacco products outside educational institutions alongside candies and soft drinks, young people will get the misleading message that tobacco in any form is normal, benign and socially acceptable," he added.

According to section six of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act (COTPA), 2003, sale of tobacco products to/by minors and within 100 yards of educational institutions is banned.

Monika Arora, director of Hriday, an organisation that works on dissemination of health related information amongst the youth, said: "Instead of giving in to the vested interests and pressure tactics of the tobacco industry, the government should ensure stronger and effective implementation of the COTPA."

"We are extremely concerned and disturbed over the demand raised by the MPs against an important public health measure designed to prevent the children and youth. We want our MPs to think about the serious impact of exposing our youth to toxic and addictive product like tobacco by removing restrictions," she added.

According to a 2006 Global Youth Tobacco Survey by the health ministry, 14.1 percent youngsters in India use some or the other form of tobacco.

Shockingly, the survey also revealed that 37 percent children in India start smoking before the age of 10 and everyday, 5,500 children begin tobacco use.

Last updated on Feb 12th, 2010 at 18:07 pm IST--IANS

My D.A.R.E. Essay

By Tanner Simons, seventh grade

First Place

Hi my name is Tanner Simons. I live in White Owl South Dakota. I have lived there my whole life. I have two sisters. I also have three brothers. I live right beside my grandma and grandpa. It is very nice to have them so close.

I live in the country so I thought that I would never be around drugs, tobacco, or alcohol. It wasn’t until the D.A.R.E. program came to our school that it really occurred to me that I was around most of these things. It is as simple as walking into a convenience store to get a pop. There it is alcohol right there next to the pop. Then when you go to pay for the pop there are packs of cigarettes all over.

When you think about meth and drugs what do you think about? Well I think of a great big lab with lots of hoses and test tubes. Wrong! A meth or drug lab can be as simple as three bottles and two hoses. Then I think not just anybody can make it. Wrong again, anybody can go to a regular grocery store and buy everything needed to make meth. Anyone that knows how to measure and knows a recipe for drug manufacturing can do it; it is as easy as that. Some people are starting to put meth labs in cars and pickups, even in the little space of a trunk. It is just about unbelievable.

Marijuana is another drug. It is known for how high it gets you and makes you so feel good. OK, again why would you put 50 percent -70 percent more chemicals then tobacco products into your body? Guess what that ups the chance of getting cancer. Not to mention on top of that, it is illegal. There is also twice as much tar in marijuana then in tobacco. I know that I will never do marijuana; especially because it is addictive once you start you can’t stop.

When the first day of DARE came around, I didn’t really think that this had to do with me. I mean we live in a community where you know everybody around you. You know your neighbors and you feel safe. That is not all true there are still drunk drivers out there. And there is a worse risk for side effects for teens because their bodies are still growing and it can kill you.

I learned about tobacco in D.A.R.E. one day. Did you know that over 3,000 nonsmoking people die each year from smoke? This fact, for some reason, affected me in a big way because I have an uncle that smokes a lot and I just made me think does he know that he is endangering people’s lives? Then he is also endangering his own life because 400,000 Americans do die from tobacco related causes each year. I mean who wants to lose their teeth, get mouth, throat, bladder, or kidney cancer? I mean, on top of that, who would want to kiss someone that has been smoking?

To me it is not worth it to put my life and the life of others on the line just for something that makes you feel good. Oh yeah, in the long run, it won’t make you feel good.

D.A.R.E. Essay

By Tye Grubl, sixth grade

Second Place

Some skills that I learned in D.A.R.E. are to deal with peer pressure, walk away when someone offers you a smoke, just say “no,” and say to them that it’s bad for you to do drugs, I could say “it can give you cancer, cause you to make bad decisions, cause you to hurt someone,” or I could even tell them to ask someone that has smoked or chewed tobacco. Some knowledge that I learned was to choose good friends that don’t do drugs, don’t have friends that do drugs or else they might have you try some, and make good choices by following the D.A.R.E. decision model. I can use the D.A.R.E. decision making model for when I’m around drugs or all my real life.

What I learned in D.A.R.E. is that drugs can make you high, drunk, very sick, pass out, or even dead. I never knew that drugs would be so harmful. I didn’t know that marijuana smoke contains 50 percent to 70 percent chemicals in tobacco smoke. I never knew that 3,000 nonsmokers die of lung cancer a year from smelling smoke. All this that I just wrote is very important; anyone under 18 shouldn’t do drugs. The impact on what I learned is very surprising because close to 3,000 nonsmokers die a year from lung cancer and 400,000 people die a year from lung cancer from smoking. I never knew that are 200 known poisons in tobacco. I never knew that smoking can make your teeth yellow. I did know that smoking causes breathing problems, and smoking causes heart disease. 

This is what I learned in the D.A.R.E. program. I learned how to choose good friends, deal with drugs, I learned where methamphetamine labs would travel meth labs could be in the back of trunks, houses, garage, campers, or even shops. I learned how to use the D.A.R.E. decision making model. 

This is my D.A.R.E. pledge: In every situation I’m going to DEFINE my problem. I will ASSESS what my choices are. When I RESPOND I will make a choices. I will EVALUATE my decision. I will use the D.A.R.E. decision making model a lot in my life. I will use the D.A.R.E. decision making model when I’m around drugs and in my regular life, and I will tell people that do drugs to quit and tell them to go and do something healthy. They can go and play sports, and maybe they would choose good friends and also is good at something. I would tell them to use the D.A.R.E. decision making model. I would tell them they did well at making the decision of not doing drugs.   

What I Learned from Doing D.A.R.E.

By Corey Hockenbary, fifth grade

Third Place

What I learned has helped a lot with problems I have at home and helped me make decisions about what I will and won’t do in the future. It has helped me with doing chores. I have learned much using the D.A.R.E. model. I understand how to Define my problem, Assess the options, Reach a decision, and Evaluate my decisions. For example, if I leave the door open, the animals will get in the feed shed and might get sick, too. They might even die. Since I know what my problem is, I have looked at all the options, made a decision, and then made a judgment on whether it was a good decision or not. I know that I do not want to leave the shed door open.

I learned about so many issues such as drug use, peer pressure, positive responses to pressure and tobacco and alcohol use. The tobacco and alcohol use is what really hit home for me.

My Grandma used to smoke. I don’t know how she did not become one of the 400,000 people who die every year…she smoked for over 50 years. It was very hard for her to quit. Since she was so addicted and she had tried to quit many times, she was frustrated that she couldn’t stop smoking. Mom and Dad didn’t go down much to visit Grandma because Dad gets headaches when he smells smoke. She wanted to be around us so much that she decided to quit. Grandma did not want us to become one of the 3,000 people who die each year from second hand smoke.  She smoked less each day and also chewed on a straw to give her mouth something to do besides suck on a cigarette. She doesn’t smoke anymore and we are able to visit with her more often which is fun for us. She is way healthier than she used to be and way more active. She does chores now and helped with calving this spring. I see her driving machinery that I never saw her on before. I see her gathering horses on the four-wheeler. I love spending time with her. 

My grandpa, on the other side of my family, still smokes, but he is trying to quit. My grandma, his wife, is urging him to quit, but hasn’t had much luck. I would LOVE to spend time with him, but I don’t like the smell of smoke so I don’t go too close. He is a very nice man and all, but since he smokes, it runs people off sometimes. He really isn’t in the best shape, either. He hurts a lot and can’t do much. He doesn’t move very fast…he strolls everywhere. He stays in the house when we do fun stuff like swimming, sledding, and playing “Fox and Goose.” He would probably feel a lot better if he quit smoking. I know his grandkids would enjoy playing with him more.

I have learned from what I have seen in class that alcohol use can slow your reactions and you can’t concentrate. It can poison you if you drink too much. It damages every organ in your body and I have seen these problems first hand.

I have seen people who drink a little bit and cut themselves while trying to cook because their reactions are slowed. I don’t like to see people who drink; their eyes are red and runny and seem to wander which seems to me like their body’s way of reacting to the alcohol. Their face looks confused like they don’t really know what they are doing.

I have a cousin that drinks a lot and chews. He can’t concentrate or anything else.  It seems like he’s forgotten who he is. He can’t remember anything. He drives slowly because he can’t concentrate. I don’t think he’s fully confident with himself. He forgets what he is doing, what he has done, and what he is supposed to do. I worry about the harm he could cause himself or others.

My experience in the D.A.R.E program has taught me to make decisions for myself when exposed to drugs, alcohol, and peer pressure. It has also taught me how to make good decisions in my everyday life. I pledge to use my hands to push away drugs and alcohol, my head to remember the problems drugs and alcohol can cause, my heart to understand how hard it is for others quitting, and my health to participating in activities that will keep me away from drugs. This is my D.A.R.E. pledge.