About 44.3% adults in Karnataka are exposed to passive smoking at their home and 37.2% have to put up with passive smoking in public places, says a new survey.

Global Audit Tobacco Survey (GATS) conducted the survey, whose report was released in the banquet hall of Vidhana Soudha on Tuesday. Chief minister Jagadish Shettar, deputy chief minister R Ashoka, cabinet ministers and opposition leaders attended the function.

The survey indicates that more than 28% adults in Karnataka consume tobacco in one form or the other. About 40% male adults and 16% female adults consume tobacco in the state. The estimate puts the number of tobacco users at more than one-and-a-half crore.

On the occasion of the release of the survey report, a few tobacco users who survived cancer narrated their sufferings and pleaded with political leaders to introduce strict norms to discourage the use of tobacco. They said a high-power committee should be set up in this regard and the chief minister/chief secretary should head it. The committee should take a call on issues like controlling the sale of tobacco, raising tax on tobacco products, putting an end to advertising of tobacco products and chalking out strong policies.

Shettar said an alarming number of people lose their life every year because of smoking-induced cancer. He said the state government was spending `3.7 crore to control the use of tobacco products. He said the government had arranged for facilities at Kidwai Hospital to diagnose cancer and treat it.

Former minister Roshan Baig advised parents and adults not to smoke at home or in front of children. He said he himself was a smoker and had picked up the habit after emulating elders. He said he quit smoking owing to health complications, and was feeling better since stopping.