India Attempts to Snuff Out Smokes
news you may not know
To read more about the ban, see this from Reuters. To find resources to help you quit smoking, see this from the American Cancer Society.
Nice Job, India...
India is tired of being a trendsetter. While virtually every other nation is jumping on the health bandwagon, India is one a handful of countries where cigarette use is on the rise. And the numbers are staggering. India has 240 million tobacco users, consuming over 102 billion cigarettes annually. It’s not the kind of trend India is interested in setting, so…
The Indian government has instituted a public smoking ban. The ban places all universities, restaurants, bus stops, hospitals, and pubs off limits. Offenders will be fined the equivalent of four dollars. Will it work?
Well, the Indian government has precious few resources with which to enforce the ban. But, in light of the costs associated with smoking, they may be wise to step up their efforts. Smoking related illnesses are the cause of 20 percent of all deaths in India each year. That’s a tremendous drain on any economy.
But, the numbers in India don’t tell the whole sad story. China’s puffers dwarf their Indian counterparts, being home to one-third of the world’s smokers. Worldwide it’s estimated there are more than one billion smokers, accounting for over 5 million deaths each year, or one death every six seconds – one in every ten deaths among adults. Tobacco use accounted for 100 million deaths in the 20th century, a figure predicted to rise to one billion this century if people continue to smoke at current rates.
So, hats off to India. Let’s wish them well in their efforts and hope this is the start of a new trendsetting era.
The Indian government has instituted a public smoking ban. The ban places all universities, restaurants, bus stops, hospitals, and pubs off limits. Offenders will be fined the equivalent of four dollars. Will it work?
Well, the Indian government has precious few resources with which to enforce the ban. But, in light of the costs associated with smoking, they may be wise to step up their efforts. Smoking related illnesses are the cause of 20 percent of all deaths in India each year. That’s a tremendous drain on any economy.
But, the numbers in India don’t tell the whole sad story. China’s puffers dwarf their Indian counterparts, being home to one-third of the world’s smokers. Worldwide it’s estimated there are more than one billion smokers, accounting for over 5 million deaths each year, or one death every six seconds – one in every ten deaths among adults. Tobacco use accounted for 100 million deaths in the 20th century, a figure predicted to rise to one billion this century if people continue to smoke at current rates.
So, hats off to India. Let’s wish them well in their efforts and hope this is the start of a new trendsetting era.
To read more about the ban, see this from Reuters. To find resources to help you quit smoking, see this from the American Cancer Society.
posted by tim at 6:42 AM
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