Tura, Oct 14: Tobacco use accounts for nearly 8,000 preventable deaths annually in Meghalaya, with 47 per cent of adults and 34 per cent of children in the state consuming tobacco, State Nodal Officer for the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) and National Oral Health Programme (NOHP), Dr. Nabanita Mawrie, said on Wednesday.
Speaking at the district-level observance of World No Tobacco Day 2026 at the District Auditorium in Tura, Mawrie said Meghalaya also has the highest rate of oesophageal cancer cases in the country.
The programme was organised by the Office of the District Medical and Health Officer (DM&HO) and the District Health Society, in collaboration with the NTCP, West Garo Hills, under the theme “Unmasking the appeal – countering Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction”.
Highlighting efforts to curb tobacco consumption, Mawrie said the state is implementing the Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions (TOFEI) project, expanding Tobacco-Free Village initiatives and providing confidential tobacco cessation counselling across dental facilities in Meghalaya.
She also flagged industry practices such as single-stick sales and surrogate branding near schools.
Superintendent of Police (Traffic), West Garo Hills, Rupam R Marak, MPS, raised concerns over rising drug addiction in the region, revealing that confirmed drug users have been identified among children as young as nine or 10 years old.
Addressing health officials, educators and students, Marak cited World Health Organization data showing that tobacco consumption claims more than eight million lives globally each year. He warned that nicotine exposure can impair brain development in children and adolescents.
He also highlighted legal provisions under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA), 2003, the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes Act (PECA), 2019, and the Juvenile Justice Act to curb tobacco use among minors.
According to data presented by Marak, around 80 per cent of drug users in the region are male, largely from single-parent households, while 20 per cent are female from middle- and upper-class backgrounds.
He said substance abuse locally involves controlled prescription medicines such as Spasmo Proxyvon and Nitrosun, along with YABA tablets and heroin, also known as brown sugar.
With heroin costing around ₹300 per small dose, addiction can push young people towards theft and other criminal activities to sustain their habit.
Marak urged parents to monitor behavioural and physical changes in children and seek timely assistance. He said support is available at the Seva Inland Rehabilitation Center in Gambalgre.
The programme was attended by DM&HO, West Garo Hills, Dr. Arpita R. Marak; Danny Ch. Marak, Secretary of the Council of Nokmas, West Garo Hills, and retired Commissioner of Taxation, Government of Meghalaya; and District Nodal Officer for NTCP and NOHP Dr. Hubert N. Marak.
The event also featured a group song by students of Kilkra Kids Secondary School and an anti-tobacco skit by the RSBC Youth Fellowship, Tura. Prizes and certificates were distributed to winning schools in district- and Tura urban-level slogan-writing and poster-making competitions. The programme concluded with a pledge against tobacco use and illegal substances.
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