Hyderabad July 31: The government as well as health experts are deeply concerned about young people of the country getting addicted to smoking. Recent research says that those who start sm king at a young age find it very difficult to quit the habit at a later stage. Smoking among teens and youth in India is increasing rapidly. It is estimated that the country is losing 90,00,000 jobs in a year because of deaths due to ill-effects of smoking. As per WHO statistics, five million people die each year in the world from diseases related to tobacco use. This figure will reach 10 million per year by 2030, with 70 per cent of those deaths occurring in developing countries such as India. A latest study supported by the WHO says that at least one million people are going to die of smoking in 2010 in India. There are around 120 million tobacco users in India and the average age of smokers vary from 30-69. One out of every five male deaths and one out of every 20 female deaths in the country are related to smoking. A similar study conducted by the New England Journal of Medicine found that 61 percent of male smokers and 62 percent of women smokers of India will die at the age of 30-69. All these grim statistics have set alarm bells ringing and authorities have taken several steps to lure youth away from smoking. Health experts say the government should introduce strict legislation which will make it difficult for teenagers to buy cigarettes. As of now, the government has tightened laws by banning smoking in public and by banning direct and indirect advertisement of tobacco products. Dr Srinath Reddy, president of the Public Health Foundation of India, said it was also a good sign that Bollywood icons such as Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan have decided to quit smoking. "There is a salutary message in this,' he said. "Smokers really need will power to give up the habit.' In fact, there are millions of youth who want to give up smoking, but are unable to do so since they are addicted. As per a detailed study conducted among teenagers in Montreal, those who were smoking heavily lacked the confidence to try to quit the habit. The American Heart Association states that nicotine addiction as one of the hardest addictions to break. Some doctors feel that social networking sites should also be made use of to persuade people to quit smoking. "Ill-effects of smoking can be presented with pictorial warnings in Orkut by creating a small community,' says Dr Prakash C. Gupta, director of Healis Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health. Endorsing this idea, Dr Judith Mackay of World Lung Foundation said that the public was also not opposed to such pictorial warnings. "The government need not worry on that count,' said Dr Mackay. And those who find it really difficult to quit smoking can seek medical help. The US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc has launched its anti-smoking Varenicline drug in India under the brand name Champix. This drug has been a huge success story in the US and Europe where it helped millions quit smoking. It is even considered superior to nicotine replacement therapy. Varenicline or Champix does its job by diminishing the pleasurable effects of a cigarette and thinning the craving. The drug, which is available for Rs 9,500, has to be taken for 12 weeks. "It is the most innovative and effective oral smoking cessation product to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States,' said Mr Kewal Handa, the managing director of Pfizer India. "It has benefited over 5.7 million people since its worldwide launch in 2006.' However, some experts have cautioned that Chantix users have been complaining about side-effects. In the end, it boils down to the determination to kick a habit which does much damage to health. Drugs and legislation can only be catalysts.