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Risks The World Health Organization (WHO) lists no less than 23 tobacco-related diseases and says that nicotine exacerbates asthma, causes impotence, infertility, cardiac distress, stokes and cancer. These include cancers of the oral cavity, larynx, lungs, oesophagus, bladder and pancreas ? with oral cancers accounting for 70 per cent of all cancers in men in Nepal. The United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention describes tobacco use as the single most important preventable risk to human health in developed countries and an important cause of premature death worldwide. A hundred years from now, people are going to seriously wonder what insanity could have caused such a dangerous substance like nicotine ? which is more addictive than heroin, alcohol, cocaine, marijuana and caffeine ? to be smoked, chewed and sniffed with so much impunity and acceptance in the homes, offices and public areas. They are also going to wonder how multinational giants flourished by manufacturing, packaging and publicising the dangerous habit before selling it with almost complete freedom. Fresh battle lines are drawn in Europe between pro-smoking and anti-smoking lobbies. This is why it is such great news now that an Irish company finally had the guts to categorically state without beating around the bush that smokers need not respond to a job advertisement they had placed in newspapers. Even better news is that, in response, the European Union has said refusing to employ someone who smokes tobacco is not covered by European anti-discrimination legislation. This is a clear signal that smoking will not be tolerated in future among European Union's corporate structures. It is an example the rest of the world should follow. Worse, society, in general, and corporate employers, in particular, did not really think twice about hiring people with the suicide habit. Would they hire someone with a terminal illness? Would that be discriminating? Incidentally, Ireland was the first country in Europe to outlaw smoking in public places. Most countries in Europe have followed the suit and now have similar or partial bans. Fair enough, in the interest of those who do not and must pay the price for a smoker's fancy for fumes. Back home, smoking is unchecked in not only government offices but also all the public places, restaurants, film halls, parks and heritage sites. Smoking could be a personal choice, but it causes injury not only to him but also around him for which he has to be penalised. It needs a strong political will to outlaw smoking in public places. But in a country where lawmakers themselves take puff so openly in the parliament premises, how can one expect the desired will to outlaw tobacco consumption? It is unfortunate that parliamentarians are falling short on this count. People's representatives are expected to live upto the aspirations of the people. It is disturbing to note there are plenty of kiosks in Kathmandu which sell cigarette and chewing tobacco just outside the schools and colleges. Punitive measures are essential to deter selling tobacco products around educational institutions as consumption of tobacco products are increasing, and youngsters are almost obsessed about them. The government and the companies have a responsibility to protect non-smokers from passive smoking. What the government and corporate must do is provide incentives that dissuade smokers from their dependency on the cancer stick. For instance, include a caveat in a smoker's contract that denies him medical benefits should the illness be related to smoking. Government policy Every smoker knows that smoking is injurious to health. Many at one point or the other try to kick the butt but few succeed. It is important to recognise that addiction to smoking, like other substances, is a psychological disability. Government policy must hinge on a policy of inclusion. Self-regulation is a cry in the wilderness. Locate smoking zones far away so that the distance to reach that zone itself would deter the smoker from lighting up every so often. The power of persuasion takes time. But it is far more effective. © Copyright 2006 by CigarettesOn.Com |
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