
If current trends continue, by 2030 tobacco will kill more than 8 million people worldwide each year.
A World Health Organisation report issued yesterday on the ''global tobacco epidemic'' finds that more than half the world's population, or 3.8 billion people, live in countries with at least some form of anti-smoking measure such as health warnings on cigarette packs, cigarette taxes or anti-tobacco media campaigns.
There are 425 million people in 19 countries - about 6 per cent of the world's population - where bans on tobacco marketing are in place, the report says. Nearly all of those people are on low or middle incomes.
WHO says the tobacco epidemic continues to expand because of tobacco marketing, population growth in countries where tobacco use is increasing and the ''extreme addictiveness'' of nicotine.
''If current trends continue, by 2030 tobacco will kill more than 8 million people worldwide each year, with 80 per cent of these premature deaths among people living in low- and middle-income countries,'' the report says.
The drive against smoking ranges from videos in India showing patients who have had radical surgery to their mouth and throat as a result of cancer caused by chewing tobacco to images in Uruguay of mouth cancer, which cover most of the tobacco packaging and make Australia's warning images seem tame.
In contrast to Australia's disease-dominated campaign messages, the Uruguay campaign also focuses on a social evil: ''You smoke, you stink. Smoking causes bad breath, tooth staining and unpleasant smell.''
If it is so bad for you why oh why is it legal????But yet marijuana which has never killed 1 single person is still illegal to use or possess? Pot is illegal and the alleged scourge of society and hurts no one in and of itself.Tobacco on the other hand is legal and kills millions each year hmm where is the hipocrisy here???Why dont we legalize pot and make tobacco illegal if their is such a health issue here????
Ive known people that has smoke tobacco most of their live with no ill effects.Ive smoked for 40 years with no ill effects.Ive smoked pot for almost that long(Ismoked tobacco before I smoked pot,maybe tobacco is a gateway drug?)with no ill effects either.
Talk about a double standard.They are looking for another way to control we the people,with more bullshit laws so the rich can get richer.The hell with the working person.Lets dont do anything but take from the little people,lets not GIVE them anything.It is almost time for a worldwide revolution isnt it?Lets make the rich pay for a change.