In a function organised by the State Tobacco Control Society and the Mizoram Chapter of the Indian Society on Tobacco and Health (ISTH), state chief minister Lal Thanhawla said that rampant use of tobacco in Mizoram was due to lack of health consciousness and mass education on the ill effects of tobacco is the need of the hour.
Lal Riliani, president of the ISTH (Mizoram chapter) and wife of the chief minister also urged the teachers to be role models for their students by abstaining from smoking and consumption of tobacco products.
Experts said that Mizoram has the highest incidence of cancer as a high percentage of the people of the state, including women were taking tobacco products.