Daily Times

Sir: I strongly support and appreciate the efforts of curbing and banning the use of harmful items like tobacco and drugs. Also, it is unfortunate that many youngsters are deeply addicted to smoking.

It is true that there are companies in the world that deal in cigarettes. But at the same time, it cannot be ruled out that smoking habits pose grave threats to not only the lives of the smokers but also those of the passive non-smokers. In fact a pictorial warning is a step in the right direction and will serve as a grim reminder of the ill-effects of smoking. It is also time to look at the other possible ways of creating awareness on the hazardous effects of tobacco consumption. Finally, smoking in public places should be completely banned and hefty penalty on the violators should be imposed.

P SENTHIL SARAVANA DURAI

Mumbai, India