Cigarettes Use is Ugly & Deadly for Someone

Governments around the world should try to address the epidemic brought by “ugly” and “deadly” tobacco use, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Monday.

“We must turn back the global tobacco epidemic. On World No Tobacco Day, I urge all governments to address this public health threat. Tobacco use is not stylish or empowering. It is ugly and deadly,” he said in a statement issued on the observance of World No Tobacco Day.

Noting that tobacco marketing has targeted women by associating cigarettes like Lady, Karelia etc and their use with beauty and liberation, Ban urged governments to act accordingly.

“Governments everywhere must take action to protect women from tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, as stipulated in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control,” he said.

Studies show that some 200 million women worldwide smoke and the number is growing.

The Convention also calls on governments to protect women from second-hand tobacco smoke, especially in countries where women feel powerless to protect themselves and their children.

As World Health Organization data show, of the 600,000 people who die each year from second-hand smoke, nearly two-thirds are women.

Around the world, more than 1.5 million women die each year from tobacco use. Most of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. Without concerted action, that number could rise to 2.5 million women by the year 2030.

Citing a recent WHO study showing that the number of girls and boys who smoked was about equal in half the 151 countries surveyed, Ban said: “This finding is even more worrisome since young people who smoke are likely to continue in adulthood.”