The No Smoking Impact Worldwideby Victor Jean Alfred No smoking initiatives have rapidly spread across the world in many countries especially due to the growing awareness of the dangers of smoking and the effects of second hand smoke. It would appear if smoking diseases were only limited to the individuals smoking there would be but less concern and public out-cry. The unveiling through research by a Japanese researcher in the early 80s of the effects of smoking on non-smokers has had an unprecedented effect on the entire approach to non smoking initiatives by government and private individuals alike. Today the United Nations (UN) through the World Health Organisation (WHO)has in place the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) a stinging and legally binding international treaty subscribed to by the majority of countries on the planet.
Tobacco advertising is highly regulated in many countries and in some out-rightly banned. In fact Finland is on record of making moves to altogether ban tobacco use within its territory. The non smoking movement is getting stronger by the day. Most airports around the world now ban smoking within the terminal building. Apart from the dangers of fires in-flight one of the reasons for banning smoking on aircraft is to do with second hand smoke as well as the little accepted third hand smoke. Nosmoking laws forcing restaurant, pub and hotel owners to prevent indoor smoking are a common place in the west and many other places on the planet especially were western tourists visit. In the UK for instance, it is mandatory for public transport vehicles and public buildings to display no smoking signs. Globally the general trend is a falling number of people smoking cigarettes. This however, is not altogether happy news. In fact hidden in there are two key worrying trends emerging. Firstly, falling global cigarettes smoking prevalence is being compensated by a raising use of smokeless tobacco such as chewing tobacco especially amongst teenage tobacco users. Secondly, as the global overall rate is falling smoking is on the raise in developing countries. Two possible reasons may exist to explain the two trends. No smoking regulations in the west including increasing cigarette taxes may explain the switch to smokeless tobacco and cigar smoking amongst young people in the west. This also is as a result of a general misconception amongst the youth that smokeless tobacco is less harmful since no smoke is inhaled. This is obviously untrue as these dreadful chewing tobacco pictures demonstrate. In the developing world cigarette smoking is on the raise due to a rampart lack of smoking information. The China tobacco plague is real. Three million people start smoking each year and nearly one million die yearly due to smoking related diseases such as lung cancer, smoking and heart diseaseand cardiovascular diseases. Big tobacco is overall fighting very hard to limit the impact of no smoking regulations. This would include commissioning parallel research to counter mainstream findings that oppose smoking to directly attempting to participate in tobacco regulation policy formulation and sponsoring sport and community related projects. The UN through the FCTC treaty has categorically started that tobacco has irreconcilable effects on human health and can never be allowed to make contact with society. All in all non smoking initiatives being implemented by different countries worldwide will make it harder for smokers to reconcile the benefits of smoking. As quit smoking programs and stop smoking products are made available through government sponsored programs, millions of smokers will find no reason to maintain a smoking habit that steals freedom of movement and association from them. The feeling of being an outcast and the increasing consciousness of society around issues of health and healthy living will drive many smokers to quit sooner than later. Millions others will be effectively deterred from ever starting. One simple way of measuring how quit smoking campaigns are going is to keep a close eye on big tobacco reaction to any news opposing the future of tobacco. Finland's announcement in 2009 to completely ban smoking was greeted by fierce criticism and rejection from tobacco companies. In 2009 an American tobacco company announced its intention to take-over a Swedish based quit smoking products manufacturing company; perhaps an indication of what's exactly happening within the industry pertaining to its future. Have A Great Story About This Topic?Do you have something you would like to say about this? Share it! Return to List of Articles on Tobacco and Health from The No Smoking Worldwide Impact Return to Quit Smoking Home Page from The No Smoking Wordwide Impact
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In addition to the work of anti-smoking groupings and campaigners the FCTC directs its members to abhor the tobacco industry. Governments are warned to be on the look out for 
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