28 May 2002
GLOBAL SMOKING STATISTICS

About a third of the male adult global population smokes.
Smoking related-diseases kill one in 10 adults globally, or cause four million deaths. By 2030, if current trends continue, smoking will kill one in six people.
Every eight seconds, someone dies from tobacco use.
Smoking is on the rise in the developing world but falling in developed nations. Among Americans, smoking rates shrunk by nearly half in three decades (from the mid-1960s to mid-1990s), falling to 23% of adults by 1997. In the developing world, tobacco consumption is rising by 3.4% per year.
About 15 billion cigarettes are sold daily - or 10 million every minute.
About 12 times more British people have died from smoking than from World War II.
Cigarettes cause more than one in five American deaths.
Among WHO Regions, the Western Pacific Region - which covers East Asia and the Pacific - has the highest smoking rate, with nearly two-thirds of men smoking.
About one in three cigarettes are consumed in the Western Pacific Region.
The tobacco market is controlled by just a few corporations - namely American, British and Japanese multinational conglomerates.

Youth

Among young teens (aged 13 to 15), about one in five smokes worldwide.
Between 80,000 and 100,000 children worldwide start smoking every day - roughly half of whom live in Asia.
Evidence shows that around 50% of those who start smoking in adolescent years go on to smoke for 15 to 20 years.
Peer-reviewed studies show teenagers are heavily influenced by tobacco advertising.
About a quarter of youth alive in the Western Pacific Region will die from smoking.

http://quitsmoking.about.com/cs/anti...statistics.htm

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The amount of people killed by smoking is ridiculous. People talk about spending money on food aid, health aid, and other supplies instead of fighting wars and such. Why isn't money going toward stopping the spread of smoking? The number one preventable killer worldwide and yet it continues to increase.

Darken

__________________
Walk down the right back alley in Sin City and you can find anything...

Show your kids you love them by buying them the No. 7 brand.

But none of this information is really new, at least in the western world the anti-smoking campaigns have been very active. Most new smokers are in developing countries, where there aren't effective (if any) anti-smoking campaigns.

I smoke, but I do so voluntarily. I know the effects, but I choose to continue anyway. I can (and have) quite cold several times with no problems, I just chose to continue. Like my drinking, my tobacco consumption experiences spikes during the summer and other vacations.

Oh yeah, and smoking isn't cool kids. The girlies won't like you...

This is all part of government's hypocracy in applying its duty of "protecting the citizens" completely randomly. (see my related thread in the health forum). It will go all out with these stupid "click-it or ticket" campaigns to make us wear our little seatbelts when we drive 4 blocks to the 7-11, but have no problem with us picking up 2 cartons of CAMELS when we get there.

Actually, the smoking bans put in place by some local municipalities and private businesses is at least a step in the right direction. But much, much more should be done for sure.

This is all part of government's hypocracy in applying its duty of "protecting the citizens" completely randomly. (see my related thread in the health forum). It will go all out with these stupid "click-it or ticket" campaigns to make us wear our little seatbelts when we drive 4 blocks to the 7-11, but have no problem with us picking up 2 cartons of CAMELS when we get there.

Actually, the smoking bans put in place by some local municipalities and private businesses is at least a step in the right direction. But much, much more should be done for sure.

How'd that happen??!

I would ask, why all this need for health control ?? We have an ever-increasing global population that shows no sign of slowing and only two forms of population control, war and disease. The sooner that people learn to accept that death is what really defines life, then we could all get on with our self-destructive, albeit FUN, lives. And for those of you who will whine about healthcare costs I say this. If you inflicted it upon yourself, YOU have to pay for it. And if you cant...well social security helps with the funeral.

"There are three types of lies in this world, lies, (*)(*)(*)(*)ed lies, and statistics."
-Benjamin Disraeli-

I think all the anti-smoking rhetoric going around isn't doing all that great' But I'm talking to you from a smokers point of view.

First of, let me say that I in know way shape or form advocate smoking. This is my struggle (quiting) I deal with.

1. Second hand smoke? I might be the exception to the rule. But I find it surprising that most of my comrades at my base are very unfit, or is it that smoking doesn't effect me as most smokers. I am 45 yrs old. Older than most people in my unit. I run about 4-5 time a week + calisthenics. And I'm one of the fastest in my unit, if not the whole base. Somethings wrong here. Let me guess, There's a logical explanation. I'm sure it'll catch up with me.

2. If somebody is complaining about 2nd hand smoke (or getting cancer from it) from a bar/tavern, I think they should be more worried about their liver. I think that'll go first.

3. All this talk about smoke free this and smoke free that. What's that going to do? Well, nothing. Places will close. In S-Carolina there are some dry counties. There are very few bars that sell liquor. Just beer. But there are allot of privet clubs. All one has to do is get a friend that belongs to one of these clubs to sign you in. That goes for restaurants as well. There won't be many places for non-smokers to go.

4. If all you non-smokers really want a "Smoke Free" world I think you'r going about it the wrong way. Why don't you ban the sale of cigarettes.
I'm not saying to ban the sale of tobacco. Just the cigarettes. If people want to smoke the'll just have to roll there own. They might still do it, but there won't be as much smoke as there is now.
That way the tobacco companies can still grow tobacco, smokers can still smoke where they want. And there won't be, even half, the smoke we have today. Oh yes, I know/hear all about the tax the gov gets from tobacco. So what, then they don't get it. The'll make it up in health care.
Besides. I don't see myself driving down the road with a hand rolled cig & Diet Coke (My favorite combo) in my hand. It would be to much work to smoke.
I would vote for that.

Non smokers should never lecture smokers about the dangers of smoking. All that does is makes them, the smokers, go and light up. You talk to us like we haven't heard it before. It really gets me going to hear it from a fat non-smoker.
You haven't smoked, so how do you know how hard it is to quit? What one method does for one usually doesn't do for another. Gas fumes are ten time the killer. Even the ones you think you can't smell. Will you stop going to the gas station?

Sooooo.
Smoking is not like a gun. A gun will not shoot unless someone pull the trigger.You can't say the cig will not smoke unless someone lights it up. Why? because it a a chemical dependency. The smoker is addicted. It makes you do it. Non-smokers can't see this. And witnessing it isn't the same. I watch my dad die from it. And I'm still doing it.

Stop attacking the smoker. Attack the cigarette. I'm sure you'll get faster results.
That is if you really want a smoke free city/state/country, what ever.
Tax dollar be (*)(*)(*)(*)ed.

I'm telling you, it will work.

Mac

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Before the sun goes down. Someone in this world will be shot. Don't let it be you.

People are free to smoke if they so wish.

__________________
WAR IS PEACE
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

In theory I have no problem with people putting whatever they want into their own bodies. Shoot up heroin? Be my guest.

But smoking is different. You're putting nicotine into your body, but you're also putting smoke into my lungs, my clothes, my hair, etc. You're forcing me to share many of the unpleasant and unhealthy side effects of your habit.

As the saying goes, your right to swing your fist ends at my nose.

Should smoking be banned? No. Should the burden be on smokers to keep their smoke away from others, rather than the burden be on nonsmokers to avoid or endure it? Yes.

__________________
Man up.