AHMEDABAD: If you are still taking the ban on smoking in public places lightly, sample this: Every year, over 16,000 people, especially youngsters, a re diagnosed with oral and lung cancer caused by tobacco in Gujarat. "Over 40,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year in the state. Of these, 40 per cent are tobacco-related and onethird pay a price of consuming tobacco with their lives," director of Gujarat Cancer Research Institute (GCRI) Dr Pankaj Shah told TOI. "Tobacco consumption is the biggest scourge in state. Lung cancer caused by excessive smoking is the second leading cause of cancer in state," Dr Shah says. Gujarat is the hub of both tobacco production and consumption , which compounds the problem for state. Experts say that not just smoking, even public consumption of gutkha should be banned, especially in Gujarat. "The pattern of tobacco consumption has changed in the state over the years. Earlier, people used to smoke bidi. Now, even school children are consuming gutkha, and we have youth in their 20s coming to us with cancer of the mouth," Dr Shah says. "The people of state should lead by example and not wait for somebody to come up with a complain for action to be taken. Self-monitoring is the best way to counter the scourge of smoking and chewing gutkha that has the young generation in its grip and is pushing towards disease and death," Dr Shah adds.