The
World Health Organization (WHO) called on international food and
drug regulators to bring cigarettes and tobacco industry products
under the same ambit of rules that govern the sales and promotion
of other nicotine delivery devices.
"A
cigarette is a euphemism for a cleverly crafted product that
delivers just the right amount of nicotine tokeepits
user addicted for life before killingthe
person," WHO Director General Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland told a key
meeting of international drug regulators in Berlin. WHO said the
product should be judged for what it is, not what it is made out to
be by the tobacco industry.
''The
tobacco companies will inevitably tell you they are selling a
simple agricultural product – chopped up tobacco leaves rolled into
a paper tube. This is categorically untrue. Cigarettes are one of
the most highly engineered consumer products available…the problem
is the product itself,'' Dr. Brundtland told the Ninth
International Conference of Drug Regulatory Authorities
(ICDRA).
Tobacco
smoking is the single largest cause of preventable death in
Australia. In 1998, smoking caused around 4,750 deaths in Victoria.
In 1998, tobacco killed 90 Victorians every week, about 13 per day.
If we compare this to other causes of death in the same year, on
average:
Illicit
drugs killed five Victorians every week
Road
accidents killed eight Victorians every week
Alcohol
killed 16 Victorians every week.
One
in two lifetime smokers die from their habit
Tobacco causes more illness and death than any other drug. In 1998,
in Australia, more than 19,000 people died from diseases caused by
smoking. (almost 5 million worldwide each year). This is about 82
per cent of all drug-caused deaths. One in two lifetime smokers
will die from their habit, half of these in middle age. In 2001, 25
per cent of men and 21 per cent of women aged 18 years and over
smoked.
(Warning;
the graphic content of this poster may disturb some persons)
A deadly cocktail of chemicals
Tobacco
smoke contains more than 4000 chemicals, including:
Tar
(a mixture of chemicals)
Nicotine
(an addictive substance)
Carbon
monoxide (found in car exhaust fumes)
Ammonia
(found in floor cleaner)
Arsenic
(found in rat poison).
At
least 60 of the chemicals in tobacco smoke are known to cause
cancer. Smoking causes cancer of the lung, throat, mouth, bladder
and kidneys. Tobacco smoke also contributes to a number of other
cancers and causes heart disease, stroke and emphysema.
Cigarette smoking is addictive
Nicotine, which occurs naturally in tobacco plants, is the drug
that makes smokers want to keep on smoking. Research has shown that
like heroin, nicotine is addictive. This means that when people
start smoking regularly, they usually become dependent on smoking.
After a while, the body is used to working with nicotine and feels
a need for a regular dose.
Withdrawal symptoms show the body is recovering
Smokers continue to smoke in order to avoid withdrawal symptoms,
which can be very unpleasant. Withdrawal can bring about physical
and emotional changes, which may include:
These
are all signs that the body is recovering and getting used to
living without nicotine. On average, most symptoms are gone within
two to four weeks.
Most smokers want to quit
Research shows that most smokers have tried to quit. They are aware
of the health problems caused by smoking for themselves and the
people around them.
Smokers also realise they spend a lot of money on cigarettes.
It is important for a smoker to decide they want to quit and be
confident they will succeed. The next step is to plan the best way
to do it. A smoker might find it useful to think about why and when
they smoke and then work out ways to tackle the urge to smoke.
Type of help available
There is help for smokers who want to quit. Some things that help
people quit include:
Counselling
Education
and information
Nicotine
patches, gum, inhaler, lozenges and tablets
Bupropion
(Zyban) - a prescription medicine.
Most smokers try a few times before they quit
Most smokers try several times before they manage to quit for good.
To have a cigarette does not have to mean failure. A person can
learn from a setback and go on to succeed the next time.
Where to get help
Your
doctor
Your
chemist
Quitline
Tel. 131 848
Things
to remember
Tobacco
smoking is the single largest cause of preventable death in
Australia
Nicotine
is a naturally occurring drug in tobacco that makes cigarette
smoking addictive
Many
smokers try several times before they manage to quit for
good.
Passive
smoking
Passive
smoking means breathing in other people's tobacco smoke. A smoker's
exhaled smoke is called exhaled mainstream smoke. The smoke
drifting from their lit cigarette is called side stream smoke. The
combination of mainstream and side stream smoke is called
environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Most of the smoke that hangs in
a room is side stream smoke, which contains higher levels of
carcinogenic compounds than mainstream smoke. ETS is a common
indoor pollutant. The fact that Australians spend about 90 per cent
of their time indoors (on average) makes ETS a serious health
hazard for both smokers and non-smokers. Children are particularly
at risk of adverse health effects from passive smoking.
Exposure
to passive smoking remains a serious health issue for the Victorian
community and for hospitality staff. Passive smoking results in
19,000 hospital bed days in Victoria each year.
