Srinagar, July 29: Even as news of sudden cardiac deaths among youth has become common, experts trace the trend to growing drug abuse in the Kashmir Valley.
The crisis came into focus during a Divisional Level Orientation Workshop of key stakeholders and nodal officers of various departments under the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) here on Tuesday, organised by the State Tobacco Control Cell, Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir. The workshop, focused on strengthening the implementation of the NTCP and tobacco control laws like COTPA, PECA, JJA, and FSSA, brought together health experts, police officials, and mental health professionals, who issued dire warnings about the current trajectory.
In his detailed presentation, titled “Mexico to Kashmir – How Kashmir Became Tobacco Addicted”, Dr Majid Shafi, Valley’s leading psychiatrist and Nodal Officer for National Mental Health Programme (NMHP), explained the historical journey of tobacco in the region.
“Tobacco was introduced to India by the Portuguese and reached Kashmir during the Mughal rule,” Dr Shafi said. “During the Afghan, Sikh, and Dogra regimes, its use became embedded in society. From jajeer in rural/ urban areas to naswar in tribal belts, and now to cigarettes and e-cigarettes – addiction has changed forms, but never loosened its grip.”
Dr Shafi emphasised that the British colonial period accelerated commercialisation, while ‘conflict’ drove people to seek relief through substances. “After the late 1980s, mental health disorders like PTSD, depression, and anxiety spiked. People began using tobacco as a form of self-medication. Widows, orphans, and youth increasingly turned to jajeer and later cigarettes. Today, it’s not just tobacco — the problem has escalated to opioids, cannabis, alcohol, and heroin,” he added.
On coming across news of young deaths due to heart attacks, he said: “I am not saying that all heart attacks in youngsters are due to substance abuse. However, a substantial number of deaths (heart failures)— nearly 50 percent — are now due to heroin overdose. And I know many young people who died of sudden heart attacks linked to addiction.”
Shoket Hussain Shah, SSP, PCR Kashmir, echoed these concerns with a strong call for early intervention. “We must catch them young. A child’s first experience with smoking often comes from the cigarette stubs left behind by his father,” Shah said. “We need to question and fix the separate spaces allocated for selling cigarettes and the spaces used to advertise them.”
Experts urged multiple strategies to counter the epidemic. These include vendor licensing, higher taxation on tobacco products, and expansion of cessation clinics and Addiction Treatment Facilities (ATFs). The Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions (ToFEI) framework was highlighted as a useful model, and there was consensus on engaging community and religious leaders to help discourage addiction at the grassroots.
Dr Shafi also stressed that timing matters in helping people quit: “Special periods, like Ramadan or during a respiratory illness, can serve as turning points. Smokers can be advised to quit abruptly. Simple tips like chewing fennel seeds, using gums, or delaying the first morning cigarette can make a difference. Most importantly, a doctor’s advice alone can motivate 5 percent of smokers to quit.”
The workshop also promoted 144416 – Tele-MANAS, the government’s 24/7 mental health helpline, as an essential support service for people suffering from addiction-related issues or mental distress.