Last week I reviewed Thank You for Smoking.. that movie got me to thinking about the corruption and influence that the Tobacco Industry has had in our world. This morning I googled "famous cigarette smokers" and was surprised at the folks on the list. It seems that we have made some progress in this area but maybe not as much as I thought.In a Global Tobacco Epidemic report the WHO said smoke-free policies were crucial to reducing the harm caused by second-hand smoke, which it said kills around 600,000 people prematurely each year and causes crippling, disfiguring illness and economic losses reaching tens of billions of dollars.
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Scientific evidence has unequivocally established that exposure to tobacco smoke causes death, disease and disability. Over the past four decades, smoking rates have fallen in rich places such as the United States, Japan and western Europe, but they are rising in much of the developing world.
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Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of death in the world, killing more than 5 million people a year. A report by the World Lung Foundation in August said smoking could kill a billion people this century if trends hold.
Why do you think people still smoke? Do you smoke or have you ever smoked? If you have quit please share with us why you did. And do find that ashtray image above to present conflicting messages?
I smoked on and off for about 10 years starting in college - because its what the "cool" people did. I quit cold turkey before I got married because I realized a) its just about the nastiest thing a person can do, b) I watched my grandfather die of lung cancer and c) I think its something for weak-minded people who cannot control their own urges or habits.
ReplyDeleteWere it so pleasurable and yet limiting in its destructive power, say, for yourself only, I probably wouldn't have so much complaint on the subject - after all, just about anything will kill you we find these days and you aren't going to live forever anyway. But the addictive, second-hand, stinky killer bit really gets me. yucko.
haven't seen the movie yet, so thanks for the review!
Yes, No, Sort Of.
ReplyDeleteI started smoking at age 15 when my father died of lung cancer due to being a smoker - it was my way of rebelling against his death I guess. I was never a heavy smoker so quitting was not as hard for me as it is for many, not to say it was easy!
I am very proud to say that my son does not smoke. 99% of the residents where he's at smoke, but I think that demographic is not typical.
Here in CA its very hard to be a smoker. There are very few places other than your own home or car that you can smoke. It was so WEIRD to go to Wisconsin this summer and people smoked in restaurants! I could not believe it. It seemed like most people there smoked.
Teens start cause they are still under the illusion that its cool. Its a gross disgusting habit, but one I understand because I still smoke one cigaratello every night out on my balcony before bed.
Great post.
Thanks Robin and Barbara.. your stories are so compelling. Every now and then Ann and I reminisce about the days when people smoked at their desks.. it sometimes looked like chimney smoke in cubicleville.
ReplyDeleteI smoke a pipe every so often, usually when the weather is decent because I smoke outside. The most I smoke on average is a couple of times a week. I usually smoke at home or sometimes when I'm with friends we might smoke cigars together.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that smokers should be considerate of others, so I don't have a problem with smoking in buildings being restricted. I guess i would say a person's right to smoke ends where another person's lungs begin.
"a person's right to smoke ends where another person's lungs begin"
ReplyDelete..well said.