Have you noticed that media pictures showing real sorry victims of drugs, alcohol and HIV-Aids convey a strong message to both young and old - that prevention is better than cure?
Strangely, no Real Victims of cigarette smoking addiction are visible in media ads or cine or T.V. dramas. Instead, actors or healthy young models give children and older teenagers the false message that smoking is harmless, the coming of age ‘badge’ or the ‘fun thing’.
Yet, annually, many more deaths and serious diseases linked to cigarette smoking occur than from any of earthquakes, famines, floods, drugs, alcoholism or HIV-Aids.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports such deaths at a rate of six a minute, 360 an hour, 8,500 a day, 258,000 a month for an annual total of a shocking three million deaths a year.
A very high 36% or more than a million who die are middle aged males, 11% of such deaths are among middle aged women.
When children, teenagers and young people, in twenty to thirty years time, are in their early forties the worldwide smoking related death rate will be an epidemic of over ten million deaths a month.
Thus, each year over 3,000,000 of today’s young ones, can expect to lose their lives within the next twenty five years, linked to smoking related causes.
No thanks to cigarette company strategies of advertising and sales, most of these deaths, it is fair to say, will be from Asia-Africa, including Sri Lanka. With every puff of cigarette smoke, over 4000 toxins are inhaled. They invade the lungs; they can cause change in lung tissue, cancer of the lung, oesophagus, throat, stomach and urinary bladder and also aggravate asthma.
Studies have established that “Passive Smoking” or the involuntary inhalation of someone else’s exhaled cigarette smoke by non-smokers (e.g. children and working colleagues) can lead to coronary disease, respiratory disease in childhood and infancy, and badly affect childhood performance.
With lax or non-existing laws, indifference of the public, ignorance of its dangers to life, health and their own children and friends, lack of parental guidance, millions and millions of people are taking to the weed.
Today, the industry has lost millions of its customers in the West. Their new strategy is to target Asian - African, Middle East peoples. Children are principally targeted.
In our Third World population, risks to life and health, are increasing.
Among the poisonous chemicals researchers discovered are carbon monoxide. This is the same gas emitted from a car exhaust. It reduces the intake of oxygen and decreases the ability to perform strenuous work.
Combined with nicotine, in tobacco (smoke), it raises the blood pressure and heart rate, thus increasing the workload of the heart. These make the smoker a likely candidate for coronary thrombosis and stroke.
Stress and chronic fatigue syndrome, (as identified in the West) affect business people, executives, office and factory workers, teachers, parents. They are no respecters of persons.
These can be treated effectively by non-chemical methods. To seek relief from the weed is dangerous and unnecessary.
Other deadly poisons include hydrogen cyanide. Hitler used this gas to exterminate six million Jews during World War II.
Tobacco tar contains many toxic compounds that can lead to cancer or respiratory diseases.
Nicotine also is an addictive substance. (It ‘hooks’ the smoker, making him ‘crave’ for that particular brand. Thus he becomes an addict). Studies confirm that nicotine is an addictive no different from heroin and cocaine and therefore dangerous. Indeed, the USA appears to be on the brink of outlawing cigarettes.
Perhaps it now should be easy to understand why smokers, whether “unthinking” children or clever or educated people cannot do without their ‘smoke’.
It has a harmful effect on the brain. Nicotine too is no respecter of persons.
Fortunately, again, there are methods for most “smokers” to be “de-hooked” (de-toxed).
The Western media has since the 1970’s provided mass education on the subject. Tough legislators do not compromise the “public interest”. Norway has banned cigarette advertising altogether. Twenty-five nations have called for ban of sales to minors.
Excellent scientific and clinical research on the West keeps piling up new evidence all the time. Strong open minded leaders at Central, Provincial or local government levels are implementing measures to reduce the risks to the public. Major cities like Toronto and even in Asia, New Delhi, have prohibited smoking in public - except in designated public places.
Health administrators use their regulatory powers to the fullest. Every packet must in most countries show all the ingredients and a clear Warning - “Smoking Kills” label.
Business, corporate and private individuals, also well informed, do their part to financially support citizen action and strategies to warn, educate, influence and support all efforts to reduce the harm to the public from cigarette smoke.
Interestingly, jurisprudential frontiers have been pushed forward by ‘modern outlook’ judges who recognize that the Law can never be static. In fact, the proposed new Canadian Tobacco Control Law, the world’s most stringent (if passed) was based on guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court of Canada itself.
It is vital to know that despite its weakened position in the West, the industry does not keep still. Using its massive wealth and advertising it managed to snare one million young minor children in one year who took to smoking in the USA.
Worse, the industry targets our children, who are the next generation. Already they have made a frightening beginning. Next to the Olympics and the World Cup, cricket is the big TV viewer spectacle.
A random survey of a mere 2000 Indian children fourteen years of age, admitted they started their new smoking habit after watching the Cricket Tournaments on TV.
How did cheering our cricket heroes lead to a lifetime of risk for so many?
A few more of such tournaments will help make the Third World peoples increase the epidemic of deaths linked to smoking i.e. 800,000 every month in the lifetime of today’s teenager.
Media Minister Dharmasiri Senanayake has struck a strong blow in banning cigarette companies from sponsoring local sports events, as well as Tele-dramas which show cigarette and alcoholic use.
Cardiologist Dr. Athukorale, Professor Colvin Gooneratne and Professor Stanmore de Alwis have been the handful of “public interest” medical doctors to understand and warn our people.
At present, only a handful of selected persons advise the Minister of Health and thus the President.
The Western style broad-based perspectives, participation by principals, parents, economists, sociologists, psychologists, religious teachers and others will be an objective foundation to build a strategy that will work.
In the meantime, we can expect more deaths linked to smoking to be from among Asian-African and Sri Lankan teenagers of today when they reach middle age, if not sooner.
Dr. Henry Jayakody combined his professional legal work with his professional interest in Addictions in Canada, USA and Venezuela.
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