PESHAWAR, April 19: The causes behind the youth’s increasing tendency to smoke need to be highlighted urged NWFP governor Iftikhar Hussain Shah  at a”Youth and Tobacco “ seminar, on Saturday. Remedial measures could then be taken to curb the habit, which was increasing alarmingly.

 The seminar organized by Ghandahara University with the College of Family Medicines to mark the World Health Day was intended to make the youth aware of smoking’s after-effects and side-effects.

Although people and the youth in particular was educated, and aware of the fact that smoking is injurious to health, Mr Iftikhar Shah noted, yet the habit continued. He termed smoking a curse which should be avoided. Despite the efforts of the electronic  and print media to inform people of the dangers of smoking it was on the rise amongst the youth. This increasing trend to smoke was also true of developed countries, he added pinning down frustration and depression as the main causes behind the habit.

Laws should be implemented to stop people from smoking in public he said which would also protect those who are non-smokers.