Smoking

UK's generational tobacco ban raises questions on whether India can replicate similar anti-smoking measures amid structural, legal, and enforcement challenges

Opponents of smoking got a breath of fresh air as Parliament passed a bill that will put cigarettes out of reach for future generations. "The end of smoking, and the devastating harm it causes, is no longer uncertain - it's inevitable," Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said after a decades-long campaign in favour of legislation approved Tuesday. Children born after December 31, 2008 will be banned from ever buying cigarettes under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. The legislation that needs approval by King Charles III - a formality - before taking effect will also allow the government to regulate tobacco, vaping and nicotine products, including flavours and packaging. It is currently illegal to sell cigarettes, tobacco products or vapes to people under 18. But most youths today will continue to face a ban their entire life as the minimum age to buy cigarettes rises each year. The passage gives the UK one of the toughest anti-smoking measures in the worl

Researchers say cannabis and tobacco use is linked to reduced brain volume in key regions tied to emotions, memory, and movement, raising concerns about long-term brain health

A new mouse study suggests nicotine exposure in fathers before conception may alter how their children process sugar and metabolism, potentially raising diabetes risk in the next generation

Tobacco cravings may feel intense, but experts say most urges last only a few minutes and can be managed with simple coping strategies while the brain adjusts to life without nicotine

Perhaps the most urgent concern is what has happened among young people. The World Health Organisation now describes e-cigarettes as "harmful and not safe" warning of a new wave of nicotine addiction

Smoking rates in India have fallen sharply over 25 years, but tobacco spending patterns reveal the poorest rural households and richest urban consumers are spending more

No Smoking Day 2026: Nicotine lozenges can help ease cravings while quitting smoking, but they should be used correctly and within the recommended daily limit

Numerous studies show that when tobacco prices rise, people smoke less and try to quit more often, and fewer young people take up smoking

Substance use may begin as a personal choice, but repeated exposure alters brain circuits that control reward and impulse, turning use into a disease for some people

You may hide a cigarette, but the body keeps score. A doctor explains how smoking leaves subtle signs across organs long before stains, smell or a confession appear

For the first time, scientists have proposed a weekly THC limit linked to cannabis addiction risk, suggesting adults staying under about 40 mg THC a week face lower odds of dependence

Pooling data from global studies, the ICMR research shows vaping increases cardiovascular risk, with the sharpest rise seen among smokers who switched to e-cigarettes

Doctors explain why relapse can happen even years after quitting, as stress, sensory triggers and long-stored brain "reward" memories can reactivate cravings and old habit loops

Smoking is not just a bad habit, doctors say; it is nicotine, stress relief, routine and brain conditioning working together, which is why quitting can feel far harder than it looks

Even smoking two cigarettes a day can stiffen blood vessels, raise clotting, sharply increase the risk of heart failure and early death, new global research warns about the dangers of 'light' smoking

Doctors explain how the caffeine-nicotine mix overstimulates your brain, heart, and gut, making the chai-sutta combo more addictive and harmful than it may appear

From insulin resistance to insulin deficiency, smoking raises the risk of every type-2 diabetes form - and the more you smoke, the worse it gets, says new study

Tobacco kills 1.35 million Indians every year, but quit rates remain very low despite widespread awareness. With India spending more than Rs 1.77 lakh crore annually on tobacco-related diseases, healthcare experts called for innovative, science-backed harm reduction strategies, including the use of smoke-free nicotine alternatives. Dr Pawan Gupta, senior consultant, Pulmonary Medicine at BLK-MAX Super Specialty Hospital, Delhi stated that for patients with COPD or cardiovascular risks, every cigarette avoided matters. "Scientific review, ?including those by the Royal College of Physicians (UK), show that non-combustible nicotine delivery carries significantly lower risks compared to smoking. That evidence cannot be ignored," Gupta said. Public Health England (PHE, UK) has estimated that smoke-free nicotine alternatives are up to 95 per cent less harmful than smoking because they remove tar and combustion. Globally, nicotine pouches have gained traction as discreet oral alternative

Doctors at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) here have warned that smoking significantly increases the risk of developing a slipped disc, also known as lumbar disc herniation. The warning came after a successful surgery was performed on a patient referred with recurrent lumbar disc herniation. A team led by surgeon Dr Bhaskar Borgohain recently carried out a tubular microdiscectomy successfully to relieve the pressure on the S1 nerve root on a patient admitted to the hospital. Four large fragments of the disc were removed during the minimally invasive procedure, he said. "Research suggests that smoking is one of the risk factors for slipped discs, possibly due to damage to collagen fibres in the disc's outer ring caused by toxic hydrocarbons in cigarette smoke," Dr Borgohain said. He added that such damage weakens the structure of the spinal discs, making them more prone to rupture or herniation, particularly in the lower