“I stopped smoking after being diagnosed with cancer. I was shocked when I heard about it. Doctors say it is because of tobacco smoking. I know it is late now to quit but I decided to do so because I do not want my condition to worsen. It is heart-breaking to go to the cancer hospital in Maharagama and see what people are going through.”
These are the words of a 58-year-old farmer from Kilinochchi, who started smoking in his youth while participating in a recent study conducted by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS).
It is a sobering reminder that while Sri Lanka has made notable strides in reducing the overall smoking rate from 38.1 percent to 28.4 percent between 2009 and 2018, smoking remains a significant health threat. The challenge for Sri Lanka now is to identify the groups where smoking prevalence is highly concentrated – what we term the ‘Last Mile Smokers’ (LMS) – and implement policy measures that are specifically designed to reduce smoking among LMS.
Sri-lanka
Maharagama
Western
Mullaitivu
Northern
Nuwara-eliya
Central
Mannar
United-kingdom
Kilinochchi
Colombo
Vavuniya