Police Crack Down on Tobacco Sellers

Are teenagers studying at schools in the city increasingly succumbing to smocking these days? The police action against illegal sale of tobacco near many schools indicates towards this worrying trend. On the World No Smoking Day on Monday, the police found business of tobacco products like Kent, Bond etc sale near schools flourishing for many people.

In a crackdown on the illegal sale of tobacco products near public places especially schools and hospitals in Jaipur district, 66 people were arrested by the police when the World No Smoking Day was being celebrated on Monday.

The police seized tobacco items from these people.

According to police, special teams were constituted to put a check on the sale of tobacco products. "It was seen that tobacco was being sold at pushcarts and places after encroaching on public land near schools and hospitals," said IGP (Jaipur Range -1) B L Soni.

He said the police had identified these sellers and cracked down on them on Monday. "Over 50 people were arrested for selling tobacco products near schools and hospitals," said the officer.

In Vidhyadhar Nagar, Shyam Nagar, Jhotwara, Banipark, Karni Vihar, Kardhani, Vaishali Nagar, Malviya Nagar and Adarsh Nagar police station areas, people were found to be selling tobacco products near over 15 schools on Monday. The schools near which the police took action against these sellers include Bright School in Shyam Nagar, School Happy Point and Gyan Gyoti Sr Secondary School in Vidhyadhar Nagar, Bhawani Niketan in Jhotwara, SSVM School in Karni Vihar, Kaushik School in Kardhani, DAV School in Vaishali Nagar and Spring Dales School, Seedling College and St Anselm School in Malviya Nagar. Sellers were arrested from SMS Hospital, JK Lon Hospital, Pardia Hospital and many others.

"It was very alarming that people who were rounded up on Monday for selling tobacco products were making good profits out of selling tobacco to schoolchildren," said the officer. He added that such action taken against sellers from time to time, but special crack down had been planned for No Smoking Day on Monday.

He said administration of schools in the city should be informing the nearby police station if they come across with people selling tobacco products near their premises so that police can take action against them. The 66 people were booked under Rajasthan Prohibition of Smoking and Non Smokers' Health Protection Act. As the crime is bailable, these people were released soon after the arrest. Even after this action against tobacco sellers, one can see people selling tobacco products near almost every school in the city.

Smoking as a distraction from moving on in life

I recently came across an ad for a tobacco cessation aid that made me think about smoking in relationship to distraction.

The ad depicted a man sitting on a dock, thinking about having a cigarette. In the meantime, a shark jumped out of the water and began biting his arm. This distraction was not strong enough to take the man's thoughts away from lighting up, until he put the nicotine replacement into his mouth and was then able to refocus on what was happening in the present moment.

Many of you can relate to this idea of being so consumed with wanting a cigarette that you lose sight of everything else. Part of this is related to the chemical addiction and withdrawal, but I'm wondering about another purpose this fixation might serve. In what ways do you allow the cigarette itself to distract you from the things in life that you don't want to look at? When you are fixated on your addiction, what else is being neglected?

We all have things we want to avoid in life, and we build fantastic stories to circumvent confrontation. Yet if we were to face these things, how might we grow to be better individuals? Distraction can be a form of self-sabotage. We keep ourselves running around and distracted, so we don't have to look at the things that nag us to grow and change. Between smoking itself and thinking about smoking (or quitting) you can keep yourself occupied for hours, days, weeks, months and years. But in that time, what gets lost?

I think that in reality we want to experience life on a deeper level, but are somehow frightened of what will happen if we stop long enough to really feel what's there. We might discover a pain that wants to be healed. Or, on the other hand, we may have to face just how magnificent we really are and see the potential we could expand into. But those things are intimidating and would require actual change. Smoking and using discount cigarettes like Pall Mall as a way to keep distracted is a sure way to maintain your personal status quo.

For you, what is the shark that is hanging on your arm, begging you to face it in order to move forward in life ... while you're distracted with finding your next puff?