Losing the battle
Reported in The Star,
We are losing the battle against tobacco. Despite the knowledge of the dangers of tobacco smoking, many are ignoring such facts. It is the younger generation that is attempting to challenge the boundaries of their human bodies not knowing the frailty of this wonderful creation to carcinogens in tobacco smoke.
The question is why are they not listening? Are we playing our cards right? Are the millions spent on "Tak Nak" campaign worth the taxpayer's money?
More questions than answers. Personally, I feel the Government should take a tougher stance against the habit of tobacco smoking. We need to enforce existing laws on tobacco smoking. The reasons for not doing so only serves to encourage more souls to partake of this unhealthy element. We need more action not just talk. Politicians need to lead by example.
Sadly, I believe that our failure to be aggressive stems from the fact that many politicians and those in high power, themselves are smokers. Therefore, many are reluctant to pursue this issue and instead attempt to defend the habit as something acceptable and harmless.
There is nothing harmless about tobacco smoking. It kills and debilitates millions. It costs the healthcare millions of dollars as well to treat these patients. Sadly, many are oblivious to this fact.
I was in a cafe the other day when i noticed a man smoking in front of his pregnant wife. Doesn't he care for his wife and his unborn child? Or is he so selfish so as to fulfil his addictions rather than protecting his family?
It boggles the mind at times. We need new strategies. We should not support sports that advertise tobacco. Among them Formula One. We should not be tempted by the attraction of dollar signs. It is indeed time we do something before unfavourable statistics threatens our very existence.
We are losing the battle but certainly the war is far from over. Let us fight by starting in our very own homes. Make them smoke free zones even to your closest of friends. The message has to be clear. Smoking is dangerous and should not be tolerated. Period.
| Study: More teenage girls smoking
KUALA LUMPUR: A Health Ministry study has found that more teenage girls are smoking and their numbers will be on par with their male counterparts by 2030. Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad said smoking among teenage girls had reached 8% and was expected to surge to 29% by 2030. “The current scenario is that adolescents have taken over the lead from adults as smokers,” he said at the opening of the Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya World Tobacco Free Week here yesterday. His speech was read out by the ministry’s vector control deputy director Dr Marzuki Md Isa. Dr Abdul Latiff said between 50 and 60 teenagers become new smokers daily. Meanwhile, Deputy Health Director Dr Sallehudin Abu Bakar told reporters that smoking among male teenagers was expected to remain at 30% but was likely to gradually increase among teenage girls. “The ministry is focusing its anti-smoking efforts on teenage smokers and is trying to reduce the rate by at least 10% a year,” he said. He also said smoking prevalence among male adults in Malaysia had reached 50%, more than the figure in other developing nations (49%) and developed nations (39%). – Bernama |
We are losing the battle against tobacco. Despite the knowledge of the dangers of tobacco smoking, many are ignoring such facts. It is the younger generation that is attempting to challenge the boundaries of their human bodies not knowing the frailty of this wonderful creation to carcinogens in tobacco smoke.
The question is why are they not listening? Are we playing our cards right? Are the millions spent on "Tak Nak" campaign worth the taxpayer's money?
More questions than answers. Personally, I feel the Government should take a tougher stance against the habit of tobacco smoking. We need to enforce existing laws on tobacco smoking. The reasons for not doing so only serves to encourage more souls to partake of this unhealthy element. We need more action not just talk. Politicians need to lead by example.
Sadly, I believe that our failure to be aggressive stems from the fact that many politicians and those in high power, themselves are smokers. Therefore, many are reluctant to pursue this issue and instead attempt to defend the habit as something acceptable and harmless.
There is nothing harmless about tobacco smoking. It kills and debilitates millions. It costs the healthcare millions of dollars as well to treat these patients. Sadly, many are oblivious to this fact.
I was in a cafe the other day when i noticed a man smoking in front of his pregnant wife. Doesn't he care for his wife and his unborn child? Or is he so selfish so as to fulfil his addictions rather than protecting his family?
It boggles the mind at times. We need new strategies. We should not support sports that advertise tobacco. Among them Formula One. We should not be tempted by the attraction of dollar signs. It is indeed time we do something before unfavourable statistics threatens our very existence.
We are losing the battle but certainly the war is far from over. Let us fight by starting in our very own homes. Make them smoke free zones even to your closest of friends. The message has to be clear. Smoking is dangerous and should not be tolerated. Period.
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