India facing smoking death crisis

camelgirl

Totally agree. This idea that you are taking away someones freedom by making it expensive or difficult for them to smoke (or drive without seatbelts) is so bogus. There is nothing "free" about personal habits that have a high cost to the rest of society. Why should the rest of us have to pay for your "freedom" to do as you please. That's why these particular addictions are PUBLIC health issues!

Of course, in many countries the governments make tons of money directly off smoking--like Japan--and have no incentive to take away your "freedom". The Japanese Finance Ministry owns 67% of Japan Tobacco http://joi.ito.com/archives/2002/11/...n_japan. html
Until it costs them more money in health care than they take in, you will have all the freedom you want to die of lung cancer there--the leading killer.

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capt_mahajan

Though I don't know the numbers, taxes and revenue from cigarette sales are significant in some States in India, which oppose the anti smoking lobby.

camelgirl

Here in the US also. I live in a tobacco area and we are still in the 1950s when it comes to any tobacco legislation.

The USA still has state by state taxation on cigarettes and they are still inexpensive down here. This creates a black market right here in the good old holier than thou US of A. Truckloads of cheap cigarettes are being carried up north to states that do have high taxes and thus very high prices on tobacco products!

crvlvr

I am not disagreeing on the health effects of smoking. It is bad for health. On the other hand almost anything consumed in excess will have a negative effect om health -- alcohol, fast food, sugar etc..

The point I am disagreeing with is the govt making it their job to decide what is best for the citizens safety. Banning smoking in public places is a great idea. Thanks to that, I can come home from a Bar here in LA without my clothes reeking of smoke. But, banning smoking outdoors? Especially, when those buses continue to go by pumping out tons black smoke from the exhausts that are aimed directly at your face, say when you are in an auto.. Why can't they atleast have those exhausts point up in the air like they do abroad? But, I digress...

Nick-H

I like the way you say 'almost anything' and illustrate it with three things that are bad for us!

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shashank.aggarwal

Even though I am a smoker of Medium level, however my heart tends to agree with blanket ban on smoking all around...regardless of the jobs, pollution by other means, rights etc...

It is one of the few evils that impact not only an individual but society and environment on the whole...

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Prashant.M

True, these should be seriously addressed too.

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Minnesota

The cost-based argument is a very slippery slope to stand on. Many behaviors bring high costs--especially health costs--for the rest of society. They are usual considered matters of personal choice. It just happens that tobacco and to a lesser degree alcohol are the public health menaces du jour. For example:

Is it an individual's freedom to be overweight? It certainly brings high costs for the rest of society.

How about eating an unbalanced diet that causes health problems? It brings costs for the rest of society.

Is it an individual's freedom to have multiple sexual partners? Ditto. (Not even condoms are 100% effective at preventing STDs and AIDS.)

Is it an individual's right to not fairly and consistently discipline their child(ren)? That has been shown to contribute to delinquency, and so brings high costs for the rest of society...

And so on.

The only valid argument I can see for legislation against tobacco is that it can affect non-smokers, too. And to that degree it should be regulated, but no more.

In terms of total damage to the world, I really don't see how tobacco competes with things like pollution from internal combustion engines.

I might also point out that Homo sapiens as a species seems to have an affinity for nicotine. Heck, the Aboriginal peoples of Australia even consumed it, although they didn't have tobacco! They made "pituri" from Duboisia hopwoodii, which contains nicotine
(see e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duboisia_hopwoodii).

Those who don't smoke shouldn't be subjected to it, but those who do want to smoke should be able to.

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camelgirl

All those bad habits you list ARE public health issues. Obviously, you can't make laws to change every personal bad habit that ultimately costs the general population in the use of its taxes. But governments do recognize the financial impact that these things have on their budgets and they are trying all kind of creative ways to alter these habits, education via media, etc.

These are not instantly fixable issues, but acting like nothing should be done isn't an option. Obesity is starting to sicken the children & young adults of the world--first world food is so desireable once you get a few extra rupees in your pocket. Diabetes is rapidly rising in India and it's totally related to obesity. There are already media campaigns trying to educate people.

I'll stop now, it's boring to most people to have to think about public health issues, but they are the underpinnings of any society.


Many years ago when my husband worked in a refugee camp in Thailand he pointed out to me that the most important people there were the Sanitarians...the people who built the toilets for the 20,000 refugees--not the doctors who had come from all over the world!

malabarian

Every day there is a new campaign against tobacco spending millions of rupees. If the Government and other health agencies are so concerned why not bring a law and ban cigar production all together instead of spending millions of public money in these campaigns?

No political party will be able to take cash from cigerate companies if they ban production. In that case why not make special smoking places everywhere and at least provide smoke to millions of Indians since they can't provide basic amenities/quality in life in general

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edwardseco

Maybe we mean a different kind of smoke ..

Minnesota

Speaking of environmental impacts from personal habits: According to a report from the Telegraph, "Drinking a bottle of water has the same effect on the environment as driving a car for a kilometre." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/mai...eawater117.xml

camelgirl

Yup, and that's why many people (like me) have stopped buying bottled water. Easiest decision I ever made considering this whole trend--pushed by big companies like Coca Cola--is still quite new. Can't believe I actually bought water bottled in France, Hawaii, etc. because it seemed so delicious! Imagine, paying more for water than for gasoline/petrol!! How stupid was I? Back to the water pitcher with the filter in it for 6 months of lovely tasting water from my home tap.

And in India it's back to filtering my own water like I did for 25 years of travel there before bottled water-- and never got sick. I felt very bad 2 years ago when I bought bottled water and saw all the plastic rubbish in the streets & railroad tracks.

Nick-H

Probably more plastic gets recycled in India than in many other places. I don't know --- but you never see scavengers collecting the stuff from bins in London!

But there still seems to be plenty left on the streets and the empty plots.

Minnesota

Maybe so. But we don't see the pseudo-moralistic demands for legislation against bottled water (and India is not the only place this is an issue, btw) that are popping up against tobacco. Nor should we.

But perhaps those demands are coming. Let me get in on the ground floor: Let's outlaw smoking, and being overweight, and eating unhealthy foods, and not exercising regularly, and drinking bottled water, and not being a vegan, and not wearing hemp, and not recycling, and using toilet paper... and so on.