Don't Smoke

DON'T SMOKE


How did smoking start & why did it continue ;-

The best answer to this lies in history of tobacco use. Tobacco was discovered during ancient times. But it commercial use started much later. Here are few quotes :-

1600: BRAZIL: AGRICULTURE: European cultivation of tobacco begins

1600: ENGLAND: Sir Walter Raleigh persuades Queen Elizabeth to try smoking.

Since then tobacco use is exploited heavily by the commercial industries in the hope of making profit. Initially no one knew the dangers of tobacco. when your parents were young, people could buy cigarettes and smoke pretty much anywhere - even in hospitals! Ads for cigarettes were all over the place. Those days people smoked because it was "the in thing". People saw movie stars, (their idols), & their parents smoking. It was a glamorous thing. It was fashionable. No one really knew the dangerous consequences of cigarette smoking.

As time passed scientist began to find the deleterious effects of cigarette smoking. Soon it became apparent that smoking was the most dangerous substance ever manufactured by humans. Tobacco Industry, however denied smoking hazards for selfish reasons for a long long time.

The Industry which made heavy profit from this evil is undoubtedly the one & only Philip Morris.

Here are few quotes:

1854: ENGLAND: BUSINESS: London tobacconist Philip Morris begins making his own cigarettes.

1974: BUSINESS: Philip Morris opens the world's largest cigarette factory on Commerce Road in Richmond, VA.

1975: BUSINESS: Philip Morris' net earnings top $200 million

1980: BUSINESS: Philip Morris revenues approach $10 billion.

1988: BUSINESS: Philip Morris revenues reach nearly $32 billion.

1990: BUSINESS: Philip Morris' revenues reach $51 billion.

1997: BUSINESS: Philip Morris Cos. revenues reach $72 billion.

1999: BUSINESS: Philip Morris Cos. revenues top $78 billion.

2004: BUSINESS: Philip Morris Cos: revenue top $92 billion

2007: BUSINESS: Philip Morris Cos: revenue top over $100 billion.

One glance at above figures & it becomes obvious why Philip Morris is the biggest culprit. The profit from smoking is so high that it overrides any possibility of company's ever going broke or being stopped by the US Government.
To make the matter worse, the legislative agencies in US ( Senate & Congress), over 25% of Senators % Congressmen ( Mostly Republicans) are sponsored by Philip Morris. On top of the profit it makes, the company also enjoys 50% tax rebate from the US Government.

In industrialised countries ( Europe, USA, Canada etc ), the consumption of tobacco has substantially dropped during the last 15 years. Tobacco companies are, therefore, targetting the 3rd world countries where consumption of tobacco has increased tremendously in last 20 years

Third world countries (like Philippines) are the victim in two ways:

1. After complete ban on tobacco advertisement in the industrialised world, Tobacco industries carved their attention on the third world. Bombardment of advertisements of smoking began to appear in the media of third world countries, even making smoking look like harmless entity .

2. The Governments (subsidised by the tobacco companies) are themselves culprit because these are also making heavy profits.

It is impossible for the Tobacco Industry or the Governments to forfeit their profits. Therefore, it is left to the individuals to use their better (common) sense to refrain from smoking.

The most tragic part of the whole campaign is that it targets the most vulnerable individuals ( the teenagers ), who are not yet grown up enough to use any common sense.

Once these teenagers begin to smoke at that tender age, it is impossible to stop for the following reasons: (in third world countries children start smoking even lessthan that age i.e.10 - 12)


1. The addictive quality of Nicotine only leads to more & more smoking.

2. Peer pressure.

3. Poor knowledge of dangers of smoking.

4. Glamorous effect of advertisements.

5. Even after one learns the health hazards of smoking, it is usually too late because by then the victim is already totally dependent on Nicotine. Even one wishes to stop, one cannot.

6. Notoriously, teenage is an age of invincibility. The common belief is that nothing can hurt at this age.

7. Teenage has great tendency to be gullible.

Unfortunately in the third world countries children start smoking even less than the age of10 - 12 or even younger due to lack of supervision or parental control.

No wonder tobacco Companies target this age group. Once addicted to Nicotine, they will keep on smoking for the rest of their relatively shorter lives.


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Today we're more aware of the fact that smoking is a killer for our health.

In Induustrialised Nations smoking is restricted or banned in almost all public places. Cigarette companies are no longer allowed to advertise on buses or trains, billboards, TV, and in many magazines. Third world countries do not have this privilege.

Nevertheless, almost everyone knows that smoking causes cancer, emphysema, and heart disease; that it can shorten your life by 14 - 25 years or more; and that the habit can cost a smoker thousands of dollars a year. So how come people are still lighting up? The answer, in few words is :-


1.Stubbornness & arrogance of Tobacco Industry ( Philip Morris specially), who makes the maximum profit in hundred of billions of US dollars, also has a power lobby. As mentioned before, over 25% of senators & congressmen are sponsored by tobacco companies. These Law Making Agencies block any effort of educated medical & scientific media against smoking. Even AMA ( American Medical Association) is powerless in delivering the life threatening consequences of cigarette smoking to the legislative body in USA. Every year millions & millions of people die in the world ( Specially third world countries) from cigarette smoking, but there is still no law in any country to prohibit tobacco use in any form.

2. Substance dependence (i.e.Nicotine Dependence).

3. Lack of education in 3rd world countries (like Philippines) against smoking.

4. Ignorance promoted by the selfish cigarette companies by giving wrong message through advertisement in third world countries.

5. Targetting the young population who once get dependant on Nicotine, find it impossible to quit.

6. Cigarette industries, by artificially adding extra 5 - 15 % nicotine in each cigarette, make nicotine dependence even worse.

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Most people give following answer if asked why they smoke. None of the answer justifies smoking, of course.


1. False belief that smoking somehow let you lose weight.

2. Common but wrong belief that smoking relieves symptoms of anxiety.

3. "My parents smoked & they lived long enough."

4. "Its legal so it can't be bad after all."

5. "If I don't smoke, I get constipated."

6. " I know its not good but I just can't quit the damn habit. Believe me I really tried to stop many times."

7. "I don't smoke much. Very little really. Moreover, not very often. May be 1 or 2 cigarettes/day."

8. "I am only a social smoker."

9. "I do it only to please my friends. When they are not around, I rarely smoke."

10. And lastly the most stupid answer given is ( as if smoking is some form of entertainment).

" I smoke because I enjoy it."

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Next we will discuss the dangers of smoking & how to stop the addictive habit of smoking.