These days, there are so many people smoke in the world as I could choose the smoking for ‘socio-political’ topic. First, I think the most affective for children will be media (Lynda Bergsma, 2001). In the movies or dramas, children smoke, and women smoke. Now days, it’s usual for women to smoke in our real life, but how can we stop children smoking? As in intro I wrote a little bit about a smoking baby in china. I can't really understand what their family were saying to him, but when he was smoking so professionally, they were clapping, and laughing at him. They were very happy about him. I think it is very serious social issue for the world. Few years ago, there was another photo on the internet, a baby in Indonesia, I was very shocked top of that, I saw the video on 'Chinese baby'. In China, the smoking problem is even more serious. A doctor says that even they knows that smoking causes cancer and it is bad for their health, but they just don’t understand.
In England, people making a 'smoking doll' and refer to their webpage, "Real babies should never smoke; We all know that. But this ceramic baby is really smokin'! Just put one of the novelty cigarettes in his mouth, light it up and watch the little fellow puff away just like his daddy! Doesn't he know that smoking will stunt his growth?" (Giftideas, 2009)
They are saying this doll is not suitable for children under 8 year old. butI think it should be 'ADULT ONLY'.
There will be some effects (Dr.Mark Clayson, 2009) if children smoke cigarette. They will have problems with their developments, and also the condition of respiratory difficulties and illnesses such as asthma. According to the ‘wikiAnswers’, it says “the smoking is more harmful to children than adults.” So, if child already has asthma, it will get worse.
Women’s smoking is also one of biggest issue. There are so many women addicted (Carol Moog, 1991) in drugs such as tobacco, and alcohols. The important point here is, some of they are pregnant women. In Washington, they concluded as ‘more than one in 10 pregnant women smoke’. (msnbc, Oct. 2007) According to the article I’ve found ‘CDC’ (CDC;Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2009) if women smoke during their pregnancy, there will be increase the risk of pregnancy complications, premature (July.2006) delivery, low-birth-weight infants, stillbirth, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). (more effects for pregnant women due to smoking.) Also, for women with pregnancy has a big problem with ABORTION due to smoking as well. “About 53 percent had abortion that influenced of tobacco, also inhalation of second hand tobacco smoke when sitting among smokers will cause fatal poisoning of the foetus” (Herbert H. Tidswell,M.D). Did you know the smoke is much harmful for passive smokers than smokers? As other smokers such as children, and pregnancy women get effected by smoking, passive smokers also get effected (essortment, 2002) by smoke too. "In 1993 the EPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency), reported that passive smoking is responsible for 3000 lung cancer deaths of nonsmokers every year". So it's not only smokers who get lung cancers. Who are sitting beside them can cause lung cancers because of them. 
I know that smoking has been increased these days for youth, and for pregnant women. Ofcourse it is not just in NewZealand. There is smoking problems in China, America, England and all over the world. but I think this is not the problem I can stop nor someone else. It is oneself who can stop smoking and defend against from any addicts.
According to you last sentence: it is really only the smokers themselves who are able to stop smoking and fighting against their addiction. On the other hand, anti-tobacco laws can protect non-smokers from the bad effects of cigarette smoke. Maybe governments or health insurances should introduce special ‘offers’ - so that when you manage to stop smoking/and of course don’t smoke at all, you have to pay less taxes or something like that (so when you smoke, you have to pay more…)
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, signs or picture on cigarette packs - the frightening they might be - don’t prevent people from smoking. Everyone knows about the bad effects, everyone! Does anyone of you have an idea what would be a solution for this problem, maybe someone you managed to stop smoking? =)
From what i've heard from some of my friends who smoke, the only reason they got into smoking was simply for social reasons.
ReplyDeleteI think now that there have been bigger pushes for public awareness when it comes to smoking that people are starting to smoke less. That being said though, depending on the work, there are smoking cultures, as i used to work as a chef, probably 90% of chefs i worked with smoked, and i often felt the pressure that i should also smoke to fit in but i'm glad i didn't.
I also feel like smoking is becoming more and more of a less acceptable practice in western countries, but now the Tabacco industry are targetting developing countries.
These days the dangers of smoking are well-known, yet there are a lot of young people who continue to take up smoking. I definitely feel that action needs to be taken in order to reduce some of the frightening statistics you discussed in your blog. Mohnkuchen - your idea of a higher tax for smokers sounds good in theory but I personally don't believe that realistically it would achieve anything. For example, look at how much smokers are willing to pay for a packet of cigarettes in order to satisfy their addiction. Smoking is an expensive habit. The price seems to have no impact and this is why tobacco companies will never stop producing cigarettes. I mean, if the ghastly photos on cigarette packets and the endless anti-smoking campaigns that warn of the dangers are not enough, another tax most certainly won't be. It seems that every attempt has been made in order to reduce the number of smokers yet none of them have really worked. At the end of the day people are going to do what they want to do, regardless.
ReplyDelete“In the movies or dramas, children smoke, and women smoke” This is true... barely. The FCC has imposed restrictions on advertising and smoking in films and television (in a clear breach of the first amendment). Furthermore, at what point does freedom come into the smoking equation? Surely most of us know the dangers of smoking, but people continue to do it anyway, why? Why not.
ReplyDeleteWho’s business is it if an adult (you have to be 18 to by them, same age as joining the military, which is probably more life threatening then smoking) chooses to damage themselves. It’s legal; cigarette companies employ millions of people and without the sale of cigarettes, most dairies would go broke.
As for passive smoking, it is true that it can be harmful... that’s why the government passed the Smoke-free Environments Act 1990 (passed on December 3rd 2003), which was enacted five years ago. Anyone smoking indoors is breaking the law and should be punished.
That being said, I’d rather put up with some smokers than live in a totalitarian nanny state, who are we to judge the completely legal actions of others.
The children’s dolls in China and Indonesia are a bit on the tasteless side, but these are isolated incidents from countries in which a smoking baby is the least of their worries (http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/peter_foster/blog/2009/05/07/whats_happening_in_china_070509, http://www.tempointeractive.com/hg/nasional/2009/05/03/brk,20090503-174196,uk.html).
In response to mohnkuchen’s comment – “Does anyone of you have an idea what would be a solution for this problem”?
My answer would be for society to stop treating freedom of choice as a “problem”. Information about the dangers of smoking is everywhere and either let them continue smoking, or ban smoking altogether (though if you do that, you should probably ban everything that could be harmful. Including Alcohol, fatty foods, tall buildings, cars, sharp objects etc)
Quite interesting and a little surprised to see people here talking about “In China, the smoking problem is even more serious.” Smoking in China only has hundreds years history, but it plays an important role in people’s daily lives, especially since the first America brought cigarettes to China, smoking and cigarettes have become social tool and gift, and show hospitalities as the function of a cup of coffee or tea.
ReplyDeleteEverybody in China knows that smoking is harmful to health; it can cause lung cancer and eventually lead to death. But most of smokers can’t stop smoking, one reason is because of its social function, another probably is that smoking has not been the top of healthy killer; smokers normally end of other diseases such as heart attack and diabetes before they could die on lung cancer (although smoking also cause other diseases). Beside, cigarettes are kind of drug, it does contain some joy for smokers to enjoy; therefore it is not easy to give up, some smokers in China do try to quit smoking but it seems quite difficult. To reducing smoking, I think except the propaganda for the harm of smoking, the effective method is to raise the sale pieces of cigarettes and let it become unaffordable for majority of people. Many Chinese came to NZ, either they gave up or less smoked than before mainly because the prices here are much more expensive than the one in China.