Nepal’s tobacco consumption defies awareness initiatives as smokers turn blind eye

A man in his mid-20s goes to a shop to buy a pack of cigarettes. He sees the gruesome picture printed on the pack. The picture does not matter to him as he turns it over, pays for his cigarettes, and smokes the sticks one by one.

This is the reality for a lot of people in Nepal as data states 51 per cent of males smoke in the country. Despite the many years of awareness campaigns against tobacco consumption, the smoking population in Nepal has not decreased as estimated or deemed ideal.