Quit tobacco and ‘dine with a star’

The move comes in the backdrop of a year-long survey undertaken by CIA covering 1 lakh respondents and ending in 2016 which proved that compared to 2010, adult tobacco users in Chennai city dropped from 16 per cent to 5 per cent. 

To promote tobacco control efforts, CIA, jointly with the Mary Anne Charity Trust (MACT), organised a workshop for youngsters from all over the state on Saturday as they constitute 27.5% of the population. In this connection, a cycle rally has been planned from CIA to Sholinganallur and back where 50 cyclists are expected to participate on May 31.

The ‘dine with a star’ programme is scheduled for July 8 where a maximum of 100 participants would be chosen. “Already some actors from the Tamil film industry have expressed their willingness to participate,” Surendran said. “Those willing to quit should register themselves with the department from July after which they would be asked to undergo Nicotine Cotinine test,” he added. 

The programme is to take off on WHO’s WNTD (World No Tobacco Day) planned for May 31 to highlight health and additional risks associated with tobacco use and advocating reduced tobacco use. The theme for WNTD this year is “Tobacco – a threat to development” which will focus on the risks posed to the sustainable development of the world’s citizens.