The greedy multinational multibillion-dollar cigarette industry is killing people quietly without being noticed by anyone. Despite the awareness created by anti-tobacco campaigns, the number of smokers and deaths due to smoking are rising rapidly. Use of tobacco is the most preventable cause of cancer death in the world today. Its use is going to kill nearly 10 million people each year, mostly in their middle ages.
It is estimated that 75 percent of these deaths will occur in the developing countries mainly due to the high number of smokers and lack of medical facilities available there. Every 6.5 seconds a person in the world dies prematurely due to coronary heart disease, lung cancer, mouth cancer and severe problems relating to the throat, bladder, respiratory, kidney, pancreas or some other kind of tobacco-related diseases, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Tobacco use will kill more than one billion people in the 21st century if the current smoking trends continue. An estimated 1.3 billion people are smokers world-wide. Thirty-three to 50 percent of smokers die due to this habit. The seeds for ensuring a healthier lifestyle should be sown in the childhood. So why should the importance of saying no to tobacco begin from early childhood? This should be included in the academic curriculum. Good or bad, old habits die hard. We should instil good lifestyle practices in the younger generation. Smokers need to be taught stress management techniques.
As a society, we hold forth the ideal of protecting the weak and helpless from harm. If we really mean that, then smoking needs to be totally banned in public places, including privately-owned places where the public goes, such as restaurants, parks, malls and other business centres. Mere fines, warnings and bans are not going to change the attitude and perception of smokers. Stricter laws are needed to deal with this important health issue. Your health is your best asset. Protect your life from painful tobacco-related diseases. Let smokers take a New Year resolution to quit the habit.