February 23rd, 2010

The struggle against smoking is taking place around the world. Some countries imposed tobacco producers with huge taxes. However, numerous studies have shown that these measures do not force people to stop cigarettes smoking.

Research Institute of Tobacco Free Society painted map of Europe, selected an average cost of 20 cigarette packets and indicating of smoking bans. According to “pipe” the most expensive cigarettes are in the northern part of Europe, and the cheapest cigarettes are in the east.

Most unlucky smokers are in Norway, the first place in the rating: pack of cigarettes costs 8.02 euros at the average. On the 1st January 2004 the government imposed a tight excise tax on cigarettes, the result – the cost of the cigarettes packs in one day increased by 47%.

Place Country The cost of the packet in euros

1 Norway 8.02

2 Iceland 7.57

3 UK 7.36

4 Ireland 6.35

5 France 5.00

6 Germany 4.47

7 Sweden 4.26

8 Denmark 4.16

9 Finland 4.10

10 Switzerland 4.06

Iceland takes the second place. Here one pack of cigarettes costs 7.57 euros. It is interesting that the name of the capital of Iceland, Reykjavik, is translated as “fuming” Bay, but the “tobacco wars” soon suppressed all cigarette outbursts. Since 1999, in Iceland have banned smoking in the educational, medical, and government institutions, as well as in cinemas. Bars and restaurants have not come under the ban yet, but only received references for settlement of rooms for non-smokers.

Smoking in Britain is not a cheap pleasure too. For the one cigarettes pack British smoker should pay 7.36 euros at the average. But soon the price for cigarettes packs may drop: the European Court of Justice called on Britain taxed European products (including alcohol and cigarettes) on the country of law. But that does not save inveterate smokers, because from February 2006, smoking is forbidden in the workplace and it is forbidden in pubs and disco clubs from 1 July 2007.

Moreover, some tobacco companies produce not expensive cigarettes to struggle with smoking. Inversely, it is part of their advertising strategy. For example, a pack of British Treasurer will cost you minimum $30. The Chancellor company makes no secret of the fact that they set price relying exclusively on the top brand name.

But the highest prices for cigarettes, perhaps, in California’s jails, where we observed the last smoking ban. This led to overtake tobacco became a shadow of trafficking drugs and alcohol. For example, to buy a pack of Marlboro cigarettes in prison one should pay $ 160, a tobacco seller get $ 5 000 per month.

February 21st, 2010

Smoking bans and making the indoors totally smoking free, has furiously and successfully caught on in the developed nations of the world. In many portions of the world attempts have been successfully made to control smoking in the outdoors too. The important point is that in order to get a real grip on smoking these measures have to come into effect in every nook and corner of the world. Smoking is a universal epidemic and it is equally prevalent in almost all the parts of the world. And in majority of the places the smoke is still reigning supreme taking the environment and many innocent people in its fold.

Smoking is one of the most widespread addictions in the third world countries. But most of these nations are not doing anything substantial in order to tackle this problem. For innumerable reasons smoking and chewing tobacco are quite common in these countries. In India and Pakistan smoking is already an epidemic among the men and now it has lured even the urban women of these countries. More and more women are taking to smoking, that too the imported ones. Going by the trend the foreign cigarette companies are trying to rake in profits from the third world countries. The fact to notice is that Pakistan is a country that has got some anti smoking rules that have been passed. It is also a signatory to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Inspite of that the smokers are free to pollute everything around them with the smoke. The most surprising thing is that the country is doing nothing substantial to curb the addiction. No offenders have been caught and even if they have, no penalties have been imposed. All this after 4 years of the country being a signatory. The scenario is not different in India too. Though miniscule attempts have been made here and there, the dream of a smoke free environment will take quite a long time to be realized. Among all the third world countries the African country of Nigeria is making some genuine attempts to save its environment and the people from the addiction of smoking by implementing bans. It has set itself the target of acquiring 100% exemption from the smoke by implementing various forms of bans on the addiction. In the third world countries smoking also contributes to the wastage of national wealth and increase of poverty. People spend money on buying cigarettes and tobacco thus making them poorer and increasing the poverty rate. The cure of the smoking related illnesses also eat up a lot of national wealth, not to mention the loss and deterioration of the all important human resource.

Most of the people of the third world countries do not have access to the boons like Pfizer Chantix. One needs to have a prescription in order to buy chantix online. But a huge section of the population of these countries in question is inaccessible to both the net and the money required to buy chantix. Therefore, it is clear that the task of protecting the people from this addiction is largely vested with the governments.

February 14th, 2010

I am going on a rugby tour between these countries and my friend has asked for me to get him some cigarettes. We will be visiting either Singapore or Malaysia last (I cannot find the details at the moment) so I am wondering how many cigarettes I can bring home with me. Also I am wondering how many I can bring between the countries in case I find cheap ones in Sri Lanka and buy them there.