World No Tobacco Day 2025 “Prevent to Protect: Why Our Children Can’t Wait” 

What if I told you that your child may already be a target of the tobacco industry?
That every advertisement, every colored sachet, every influencer puffing on screen – is a calculated step to trap our next generation into a lifelong addiction? 

Every year, May 31 marks World No Tobacco Day (WNTD)—a global reminder that tobacco is not just a personal risk but a public health crisis.

As we mark World No Tobacco Day 2025, the WHO’s theme – “Protecting Children from Tobacco Industry Interference” – is a clarion call. But for me, it’s more than a theme. It is a battle we fight every single day, in clinics, communities, and classrooms. 

The tobacco and nicotine industries have changed their playbook.

From flavored vapes to glossy influencer ads, the goal is simple: make addiction look attractive. Especially to our youth.

But behind every flavored puff is a harsh truth—tobacco kills over 8 million people every year.

🔍 What Are We Fighting Against? “Unmasking the Appeal” – Are We Letting the Next Generation Fall Into the Trap? 

  • Slick Packaging designed to lure first-time users.

  • Flavors & Additives masking harmful chemicals.

  • Digital Targeting through social media and gaming platforms.

This year’s campaign “Unmasking the Appeal” exposes these predatory strategies and calls on all of us—healthcare professionals, educators, parents, and policymakers—to take a stand.

A National Crisis Begins with a Single Puff

In India, oral cancer – largely caused by tobacco – is the number one cancer in men.
I met a 13.6-year-old boy diagnosed with advanced oral cancer. Class 9, barely into adolescence, but already fighting for his life. He started taking tobacco when he was just 6 year old.

Let’s be clear – this isn’t just a medical issue. It’s a moral and societal crisis.

Why Are We Still Reacting, Not Preventing?

As a cancer surgeon for over two decades, I have performed some of the most disfiguring surgeries — removing jaws, voice boxes, faces — to save lives destroyed by tobacco. But the question haunts me:

Why treat when we can prevent?

At MAX Super Specialty Hospital, Vaishali and Patparganj we have shifted focus from only curing to preventing the first lesion. Our initiative is not just to operate but to educate, to screen, and most importantly — to help quit.

And this is why I founded ICanCaRe — a dedicated movement towards tobacco cessation, cancer prevention, and structured behavioral intervention.

The Tobacco MARSHALs Movement: From Awareness to Action

Awareness without action is noise.
That’s why we are building an army — Tobacco MARSHALs (Motivate, Advise, Recognize, Sensitize, Handhold, Add, Lead).

These are trained individuals — not just doctors, but teachers, parents, students, and social leaders — empowered to:

  • Recognize early signs like leukoplakia or oral fibrosis.

  • Motivate users to quit.

  • Enforce tobacco-free zones in their homes, schools, and workplaces.

  • Provide structured help using the ICanCaRe protocol, which now shows 92% success at one month and 42% at two years.

How to Quit Tobacco – The Right Way

Quitting tobacco isn’t about willpower alone. It’s about having the right system, support, and strategy.

At ICanCaRe, we follow the ABCD Protocol:

  • A – Active Motivation: Understand why you want to quit. Health, family, self-respect – anchor your reason.

  • B – Behavioral Therapy: Recognize your triggers. Replace habits. Manage stress.

  • C – Craving Management: Cravings are normal. Tools like chewing gum, herbal alternatives, and distraction methods help.

  • D – Drugs and Medication: Under medical supervision, options like nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) or non-nicotine medications can improve success rates.

We also assess:

  • Type of tobacco used (smoking, chewing, vaping)

  • Level of addiction (slow, normal, or fast metabolizer)

  • Readiness to quit

Our trained cessation counselors, digital app, and quit clinics are designed to walk with you, step by step.

Prevention is Affordable. Palliative is Not.

Let’s put it in perspective:

  • A single session of tobacco cessation costs less than a meal at a restaurant.

  • A late-stage cancer surgery costs lakhs, and often still fails to save the life.

  • The real cost is the trauma, the disfigurement, the families shattered forever.

Protecting Children Is Not an Option. It’s a Duty.

The tobacco industry is relentless. Their marketing is colorful, manipulative, and aimed at the young.
Our response must be stronger — grounded in science, driven by compassion, and executed with courage.

Through ICanCaRe and Max Healthcare, we are proving that preventive care works.
But we can’t do this alone.

 What Can You Do?

  • Educate: Host or join workshops in your local school, college, or office.

  • Amplify: Share facts, stories, and resources on social media.

  • Support: Encourage loved ones to seek help through helplines and specialised centers.

The Call to Action

This World No Tobacco Day, I urge every reader:

  • Become a Tobacco MARSHAL.

  • Get trained. Help one person quit. Then another. Call 9773856664  ICanCaRe Support (support@icancare.com)

  • Organize awareness in your school or workplace.

  • Support clinics offering cessation services.

  • Download the ICanCaRe Quit App. Visit a Quit Clinic at MAX. Make the first move. www.quittobacco.icancare.com

✊ The Power Lies With Us

If we stay silent, the next generation might become the industry’s next customer base.
If we speak up, act, and engage—we can save lives.

Let’s unmask the appeal.
Let’s tell the truth.
Let’s end the epidemic—together.

Because cancer is not just treated in hospitals. It is prevented in homes.
Let’s be the generation that ends the cycle — for our children, for our future.

Prof. (Dr.) Pawan Gupta MS(Gen.Surgery), M.Ch.(Surgical Oncology), FSOG, FAIS

CANCER SURGEON | WRITER | SOCIAL ACTIVIST | MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER 

 Senior Director, MAX | Founder – ICanCaRe
www.icancare.com | www.maxhealthcare.in 

 Connect on LinkedIn  | Twitter | Facebook

PROFILE of PAWAN GUPTA

www.linkedin.com/in/drpawangupta

www.drpawangupta.in

Mail – support@icancare.com

Taming Oral Cancer in Odisha: A Community-Driven Call to Action

By Prof. Dr. Pawan Gupta
MS (Gen Surgery), M.Ch. (Surgical Oncology), FAIS, FSOG
Founder – ICanCaRe | Surgical Oncologist | Tobacco Cessation Advocate
📍 LinkedIn | 🌐 www.drpawangupta.in
📧 pawan@icancare.com | ☎️ 9773856664

🧠 Why Odisha Needs Urgent Intervention

Odisha holds the unfortunate distinction of having one of the highest oral cancer incidence rates in the world. The prime culprit? Chewing tobacco—widely consumed in forms like Khaini, Gudaku, Gutka, and Paan.

Despite being a highly preventable and early-detectable disease, oral cancer is claiming thousands of lives due to delayed intervention and lack of awareness.

🗓️ A Powerful Dialogue with Rotary Club of Bhubaneswar

On April 21, 2025, I had the privilege of conducting an impactful session titled:

“Taming Oral Cancer in Odisha – The Need for Tobacco MARSHALS”

This was hosted by the oldest Rotary Club in Odisha and presided over by:

  • President: Mr. Jnana Ranjan Rath

  • Secretary: Mr. Saroj Ku Mohapatra

  • Coordinator: Mr. Biswajit Patra

The interaction was spirited, solutions-driven, and community-committed.

🔍 The Stark Reality

  • 📌 50%+ of tobacco chewers are likely to develop oral cancer.

  • 📌 11.3% of youth (aged 15–17) in Odisha already use tobacco – well above the national average.

  • 📌 Most patients present in Stage III or IV, when outcomes are poor and costs are high.

🛠️ Our Mission: SAVE the Youth Campaign

We introduced the SAVE model, which forms the backbone of our strategy:

S.A.V.E.

Action

S – Sensitization

Schools, Colleges, Corporates, Communities

A – Assistance

Quitlines, Apps, Online Consults, E-pharmacy

V – Volunteering

Training of Tobacco MARSHALS

E – Enforcement

Tobacco-free zones, Policy Advocacy

We also showcased easy self-screening tools like:

  • 🔹 The Chota Daana Test

  • 🔹 The Four Finger Mouth Opening Test

💬 Community Speaks, Support Rises

Several community leaders stepped forward:

  • Mr. Arun Ku Rath and Mrs. Gitu Rath committed full support to expand the SAVE the youth campaign across Odisha and in Odia communities in Delhi.

  • Mr. Tanmay Das proposed setting up a dedicated Oral Cancer Centre, managed by ICanCaRe.

  • Mr. Prerit Gupta (Gupta Distributors) pledged sponsorship for the Tobacco MARSHAL starter kits.

Also present was Dr. Mami Parija, Devi Awardee and founder of Amrit Dhara Palliative Unit, who strongly advocated prevention care.

🔬 Innovation Meets Compassion

I demonstrated TrisCaRe—our patented device to help individuals with restricted mouth opening (a common side-effect of tobacco use).
Combined with our ICanCaRe App, trained specialists, and community outreach, this forms a robust, scalable model for real change.

🚀 Be Part of the Movement

We’re not just treating cancer—we’re preventing it.

You can be part of the solution:

✅ Volunteer as a Tobacco MARSHAL
✅ Help establish a cessation or screening centre
✅ Adopt the SAVE model in your school, office, or city
✅ Support us in taking this to the last mile

🧩 Let’s shift from “Why me?” to “Not me!”

💬 Final Word

The passion is high, the need is urgent, and the execution has begun.
Together, we can make Odisha a global example in cancer prevention and youth wellness.

📩 For partnerships, volunteering, or program details:

🌐 www.icancare.com
📧 support@icancare.com | ☎️ 9773856664
📲 Download the ICanCaRe App

🔖 Tags:

#OralCancer #TobaccoControl #TobaccoMarshal #SAVEtheYouth #ICanCaRe #ChotaDaana #OdishaHealth #QuitTobacco #TrisCaRe #CancerPrevention #BeSmartDoNotStart #HealthAwareness

Prof. Dr. Pawan Gupta MS ( Gensurgery) M.Ch. (OncoSurgery), FAIS, FSOG

PROFILE of PAWAN GUPTA

www.linkedin.com/in/drpawangupta

www.drpawangupta.in

pawan@icancare.com

Tobacco MARSHAL Program Launched in Odisha to Combat Rising Tobacco Menace

Bhubaneswar | April 13, 2025

In a powerful move to combat the growing menace of tobacco addiction and oral cancer in Odisha, I CAN WIN Foundation, in collaboration with ICanCaRe and Gupta Distributors, launched the Tobacco MARSHAL Program in Bhubaneswar. The introductory session was held at the Hanspal office of Gupta Distributors, graciously hosted by Mr. Prerit Gupta, Director, and supported by Mr. Rajesh Gupta, Chairman, Gupta Group of Businesses.

Led by Dr. Pawan Gupta, Senior Director – Surgical Oncology at MAX Hospitals, Delhi NCR, and Founder of ICanCaRe, the session educated the audience on early signs of oral cancer—highlighting the campaign message: “Catch Cancer at Stage 0 with Chhota Daana.”


👥 Dignitaries and Key Participants

The session witnessed the enthusiastic participation of several prominent individuals:

  • Mr. Biswajit Patra, Businessman and Secretary Elect, Rotary Club Bhubaneswar, expressed commitment to partner with ICanCaRe to take the Tobacco MARSHAL initiative to grassroots through Rotary channels.
  • Mr. Prashanna Kumar Mishra, Advocate, Odisha Bar Association, proposed tobacco awareness camps at Cuttack High Court for members of the legal community.
  • Mr. Rakesh Barick, Secretary, SAI Sports Association & Manager at Panasonic Odisha, showed interest in organizing a mega awareness drive with a seating capacity of 1000.
  • Ms. Ipshita Sarkar, Psycho-oncologist, actively addressed psychological aspects of tobacco addiction and guided participants through mental health aspects of cessation.

🔬 Real Impact: From Awareness to Action

The event was not just informative but also action-oriented:

  • Three participants were screened and found with restricted mouth opening and lesions, who were immediately guided for further diagnosis and treatment.
  • The revolutionary device TrisCaRe was introduced as a vital solution for trismus management in oral cancer and pre-cancer cases.

Dr. Pawan emphasized the availability of structured medical treatment to help individuals quit tobacco and highlighted the digital quitline (📞 9773856664) and the ICanCaRe App-based Quit Program that provides behavioral and pharmacological support.


💬 Questions That Matter

One of the most relevant and heartfelt questions came from Mr. Prerit and Mr. Anis:
“How can one resist peer pressure when everyone in the friend circle uses tobacco and alcohol?”
Dr. Pawan’s response was direct and empowering:

“Motivation is the key—and the good news is that medical treatment is available to help quit tobacco. With proper support and medication for just 3 months, one can be free from cravings and withdrawal symptoms.”

Mr. Anis, inspired by the session, immediately scheduled a consultation to help his father begin the tobacco cessation journey.


🔗 Watch the Full Program Here

📺 YouTube Live – Gupta Distributors https://www.youtube.com/live/vhsUxES-aKA


🌱 The Beginning of a Movement in Odisha

The session ended on a hopeful note, with Mr. Rajesh Gupta committing full support to the #SaveTheYouth campaign in Odisha. Volunteers came forward to enroll as Tobacco MARSHALs and pledged to spread awareness in schools, offices, and communities.


📞 Call to Action

💬 Want to be a part of this movement?
🔗 Register as a Tobacco MARSHAL here: www.icancare.in/academy/marshal
📞 Helpline: 9773856664
📧 Email: support@icancare.com

Together, let’s kill the modern demon – Tambaku-Asur.
Let’s save lives. Let’s save our youth.


https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/introducing-tobacco-marshal-odisha-groundbreaking-step-towards-whdcc