Smoking one pack of cigarettes a day,
Takes from your life a few years away!

Cigarette smoking is a nusiance,
Give up smoking - with no repentance!

Do not let tobacco destroy YOU,
But let tobacco be destroyed BY YOU!

Winners quit smoking,
And enjoy a healthy living!

When we can’t give the next generation,
A world free of pollution!

Lets’ tell them we do care,
And give them atleast homes with fresh air!

Shachi Saluja
DLDAV Model School
Pitampura
Delhi, India

Stopping smoking in homes is one of the first steps that can be taken towards creating a smoke-free environment, afterall it is our family and loved ones in consideration. We need to be able to convince them easily & help them get rid of this deadly habit. The love we share,the understanding we have should be a driving force in combatting this problem or else it won’t be late when we’ll see them suffering, our family suffering and what will remain are facts like this……….

studies show that smokers in their 30s and 40s are five times more likely to have a heart attack than non-smokers.

men who smoke increase their chances of dying from the disease by more than 22 times.

Women who smoke increase this risk by nearly 12 times.

Smoking in pregnancy greatly increases the risk of miscarriage, is associated with lower birthweight babies, and inhibited child development.

Smoking by parents following the birth is linked to sudden infant death syndrome, or cot death, and higher rates of infant respiratory illness, such as bronchitis, colds, and pneumonia.

Nicotine, an ingredient of tobacco, is listed as an addictive substance by the US authorities.

Although the health risks of smoking are cumulative, giving up can yield health benefits regardless of the age of the patient, or the length of time they have been smoking.

By 2020, the WHO expects the worldwide death toll to reach 10 million, causing 17.7% of all deaths in developed countries. There are believed to be 1.1 billion smokers in the world, 800 million of them in developing countries. ….This is a mere estimate which can turn out to be true if the present conditions prevail, but we can bring the change but are we ready???

In India section(4) of The Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 prohibits smoking in public places.  Any violation of this Act is a punishable offence with fine upto Rs200.

Public place as defined in the Act and the rules means any place to which the public has access whether as of right or not and includes all places visited by general public and includes:

*Auditorium
*Hospital Buildings
*Health Institutions
*Amusement Parks
*Restaurants
*Hotels
*Public Offices
*Court Buildings
*Educational Intitutions
*Libraries
*Public Conveyances
*Open Auditorium
*Stadium
*Clubs
*Hookah Bars(where smoking takes place)
*Railway Stations
*Bus stops
*Workplaces
*Shopping Malls
*Cinema Halls
*Refreshment Rooms
*Discotheques
*Coffee Houses
*Pubs
*Bars
*Airport Lounge

But public place does not include open space example parking space, roads, open market places, parks, private homes etc.

To promote tobacco free schools it has been suggested to include ‘Tobacco Control in the Cirriculum at all Levels’.  All educational institutions have beenm directed to display ‘No Smoking Area’ at the entrance

Shachi Saluja
DLDAV Model School
Pitampura
Delhi

In India The Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 was enacted in May 2003 to discourage the consumption of cigarettes and other tobacco products.  Section(4) of this act prohibits smoking in public places. Recently,the provisions relating to prohibition of smoking in public places were reviewed and have come into force w.e.f. 2nd October 2008. Steps are being taken by various Ministries/Departments to become smoke free. In this respect active cooperation of the Department of Education has been sought.

To promote tobacco free schools it has been suggested to include ‘Tobacco Control in the Cirriculum at all Levels’.  All educational institutions have been directed to display No Smoking Area’ at the entrance.

Shachi Saluja
DLDAV School
Pitampura
Delhi

Here are a few slogans:

*  Tobacco thrills but kills.

*  Tobacco free life is deplete of strife.

*  Give up smoking  embrace healthy living.

*  Tobacco and its wrath robs one of health.

*  Tobacco - a social menance  with no befitting penance.

Best Wishes,

Shachi Saluja
D.L.D.A.V.Model School
Delhi
India

Hello all! I am Evandro Alves Barbosa Filho, from Recife city, in Pernambuco state, northeast Brazil. I am very happy in had been invited to participate in this terrific Conference! I can´t wait to meet you all soon and can be able to share experiences and plan an agenda for youth advocacy around the world. As were asked, I am publishing my profile in tobacco control advocacy and awareness. Recife is a city with more than 1,5 million of inhabitants situated in northeast Brazil. I have being working with health promotion trough a continuous health education process towards the creation and implementation of Smoke - Free Workplaces; civil society mobilization towards disclosure of the tobacco industry’s strategies; elaboration of projects, scientific papers to national and international conferences in Tobacco Control and Social Work field and educative material in the Recife’s Tobacco Control Policy Coordination of the Health Secretariat. I also have been interviewed by local media. Actually, I am working in order to improve social control for this policy involving the Municipal Health Council and organized civil society. We developed in October of 2008 a formation cycle for the Council members that had as objective to strengthen the tobacco control actions in the city, through social oversight; to promote ethical, social, political, economic and cultural formation about the tobacco control issue and to stimulate tobacco control advocacy. I am also working to implement the Latin America Youth Net – LA RED, in which I represent Brazil, by starting from my city, first establishing partnership with the Universities’ Student’s Movement. Also I intend to improve the Recife’s Social Civil Mobilization Forum.

Manila urged to ban cigarette vendors - Philippine Daily Inquirer January 14, 2009Tina Santos Tobacco control advocates have asked the Manila government to ban ambulant vendors selling cigarettes in the city. Members of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines (FCAP) hailed Mayor Alfredo Lim’s directive to rid the city streets of sidewalk vendors, but they urged him to take his move further by banning and arresting ambulant cigarette vendors. But the group likewise called on the mayor to give assistance to the displaced vendors to find alternative means of livelihood. “Sidewalk and ambulant vendors are the most accessible sources of cigarettes. Because they sell by the stick, it makes cigarette products very affordable even to the youths,” said FCAP executive director Dr. Maricar Limpin. Limpin cited the 2007 Global Youth Tobacco Survey which states that one in five Filipino youths between the ages 12 and 18 are smokers or have tried smoking. At least 55.9 percent of the respondents said they bought cigarettes from sidewalk vendors or from variety stores, while 63.9 percent said they were not refused sale despite their age, the survey showed. “Data show that sidewalk vendors make it easy for the youths to take on the smoking habit. If these sidewalk vendors are given alternative livelihood, we can foresee a significant decrease in the incidence of smoking as inaccessibility to cigarettes has been proven an effective way to cut down on the habit,” Limpin pointed out. Likewise, Limpin appealed to Lim to implement the ban on cigarette selling in stores within 100 meters of schools and other places of youth-oriented activities like parks and playgrounds, to discourage students from smoking, as stipulated in Republic Act 9211 or the Tobacco Regulation Act.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer

Any attempt to tackle tobacco is worth it - Belfast MediaFebruary 13, 2009Smoking is the single greatest preventable cause of premature death and avoidable illness in Northern Ireland, claiming some 2,300 lives here each year. Our smoke-free legislation and the rise in the age of sale to 18 have been extremely positive steps, but the harmful impact of smoking in Northern Ireland is still very real.  As health minister, my aim is to create a tobacco-free society and prevention is most certainly the key, particularly amongst our children and young people. With this in mind, last week I announced my plans to remove cigarette displays in shops and prevent underage access to vending machines. The move is a further step aimed at reducing the level of smoking amongst children and young people in South Belfast and across Northern Ireland.  Following the introduction of the ban on advertising and promotion of tobacco, retail displays have grown in size and prominence. Research has shown that young people are particularly susceptible to tobacco marketing at point of sale and are more likely to take up smoking as a result of exposure to such marketing. I feel that it is time to put a stop to this. Smoking is a life-threatening habit and we should do everything we can to reduce its prevalence. In 2007, almost nine per cent of children aged between 11 and 16 were regular smokers. These children are three times more likely to die of cancer due to smoking than someone who starts in their mid-twenties. My goal is to protect children from smoking and I believe that this is a strong opportunity to do just that. In South Belfast, we are fortunate to have the Cancer Centre on our doorstep with world leading experts providing a highly specialised service. From speaking to these clinicians, I know that any attempt to tackle the uptake in tobacco use is a worthy step. The new measures will also impact on vending machines which are currently a common and easily accessible source of cigarettes for young people. I plan to use the change in legislation to further restrict access to these machines by those aged under 18. Across the world, an increasing number of governments have taken action to prohibit the display of tobacco products.  In these countries, smoking prevalence among young people has fallen by up to 10 per cent. Whilst the proposed changes will primarily benefit children and young people, they will also help those adults who are trying to quit. Following the introduction of smoke-free legislation, we have enjoyed great success with over 21,000 people setting a quit date through smoking cessation services in 2007/08 and this is something I wish to build upon. The cessation services throughout Northern Ireland are doing a fantastic job in encouraging and supporting people in their efforts to quit. The Smoker’s helpline on 0800 858 585 is a freephone service which provides advice and support about stopping smoking.  I would encourage anyone thinking about quitting to contact the cessation services and take the first step. I believe this announcement is yet another example of how a local politician can respond to local issues.  By acting responsibly I know we can make a real difference.

Source: Belfast Media

India is the third largest consumer of tobacco in the world. Its not cigarettes that majority of Indians prefer but bidis, which constitute 70% of the tobacco smoked.

Bidis are more harmful then cigarettes, as they give more toxins like carbon monoxide, ammonia, phenol and hydrogen cyanide and contains more tar and nicotine than conventional cigarettes. So it causes more damage to the body then a cigarette.

Less tax on Bidis, more deaths

Smoking bidi is a growing menace in India with 100 million people smoking bidis, and 6 lakh deaths caused every year. The younger generation try bidi under the belief that its less harmful, since its cheap and has no warning label. Many a times, tobacco used in bidis may be mixed with flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, clove or pineapple to make them attractive to youth.

Bidis are smoked primarily by men, especially in rural areas, and are rolled by women, often in their homes. Since it provides large-scale employment, bidis are under-taxed compared to cigarettes.

A roller can make about 1,000 bidis a day and is paid Rs 40 to Rs 80 for the day’s work. But 10% of all female bidi workers and 5% of all male bidi workers are children under 14, and nearly 50% of these workers ultimately die of tuberculosis or asthma.

Tax on bidis are currently just one-twelfth of the tax levied on non-filter micro cigarettes (purchased by the poor) and just 2% of the tax on more expensive standard filters cigarettes.

But if the price of a pack of bidis was doubled from about Rs 4 to Rs 8, or if the excise duty was at par with other tobacco products it can reduce the consumption of tobacco.

We’ve all heard of the ill-effects of smoking, right? Also, we are all aware of the statutory warning: Cigarette Smoking is Injurious to Health. But, what most of us don’t realise is that exposure to smoke is a bigger threat. 
Yes, passive smoking is more harmful than we think. According to a study released by Stanford University, a brief exposure to second hand tobacco smoke can cause similar damage or more damage to non-smokers than smokers. In fact, if one is exposed to outdoor passive smoking it is even more dangerous. 

Experts say the reason is simple: there are enough pollutants in the air and this air combined with toxic pollutants produced while smoking makes it really worse, which in turn poses higher health risk. 

So, the next time you are outside with your friends or family, try and spare a thought on the risks you could pass on, before you light a smoke. And, it’s not that passive smoking indoors is any safer. It might pose a little less threat than outdoor passive smoking, but the effects and risks are almost similar. 

These health hazards could be asthma, chronic bronchitis, breathlessness at night and even irregular heartbeat. If you have been smoking in the company of your non-smoker friends or family for a long time, chances are that they could be facing a risk of premature death or non-fatal heart attacks. 

If numbers is what you are likely to believe, then here is some fact. In 2006, a report released in the US, stated that second hand cigarette smoke or passive smoking exposed about 126 million people at risk of heart disease, lung cancer and death. 

Here’s a thought, you may have felt like a man or in control with that puff of smoke, but can you put yourself at a high pedestal, when you could be responsible for your friends’ or loved ones health.