The risk of secondhand smoking is also high with 67.6 percent of the adults exposed to the risk at home and 49.0 percent at the workplace. The highest rate of secondhand smoking was found at cafes, wine and tea shops (92.6 percent), followed by restaurants (84.9 percent) and universities (54.5 percent).

The figures were released at a workshop in Hanoi on October 27 where the Ministry of Health released the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) result related to Vietnam.

Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thi Xuyen said tobacco is the cause of 25 potentially fatal diseases. She quoted the World Health Organisation (WHO) as estimating that unless Vietnam takes prompt measures to control the trend, up to 10 percent of national deaths will be of tobacco-related diseases in 2020. Under the GATS survey conducted by WHO in 2010, in addition to male smoking, 1.4 percent of Vietnamese women smoke.

Up to 81.8 percent of smokers in Vietnam smoke daily and 26.9 percent use traditional tobacco pipes. The ages for beginners average 19.8 years for men, 23.6 for women and 19.9 in general.
Of the 9,925 respondents aged 15 years old and upwards, 29.3 percent of smokers said they had quit the habit while 67.5 percent of current smokers said they are thinking of quitting smoking one day in the future. As many as 71.3 percent of respondents indicate support for the policy on tax increases for cigarettes.

Mass media warnings on the risks caused by tobacco have caught public attention, according to 91.6 percent of respondents. Vietnam has been advised to strictly prohibit smoking in public places and increase taxes on cigarettes. Bans on relevant advertisements, trade promotions and any kinds of financial support by tobacco companies should also be tightened. The country has also been urged to intensify investment in detoxification services for smokers.

The long-time smoker jokes the ban has overturned one of the traditions of the century-old Kowloon Cricket Club he belongs to.

“They really hit us on the head when they let women in here,” he quips, a plastic nicotine inhaler between his lips.

“But this is almost as bad as that,” he adds before cueing a shot in the club’s once smoky snooker den.

Unlike France, which will allow smokers to ease into the new year before implementing a partial smoking ban in February, Hong Kong’s ban came into effect at midnight on New Year’s eve.

The new laws bring Hong Kong, a city of seven million, in line with places like Ireland, New York and California, by banning smoking in offices, restaurants, most parks and beaches.

So far, implementation seems to have been smooth, with the government’s team of enforcement inspectors only prosecuting seven violators since last week.

While some of the city’s restaurants and “cha chan teng”, or hole-in-the-wall eateries, have begrudged the dip in business from the ban, others showed signs of embracing change.

“There’s been no effect on our business,” said Wong Sing-fan, the bespectacled boss of the 56-year-old Mido cafe in Yaumatei, as she stood behind her cash register. “I welcome the ban.”

Across the harbour in the raucous Red Box Karaoke lounge in the teeming Causeway Bay district, managing director Anthony Lock said business had fallen up to 20 percent on the first weekend after the ban, with clients consuming less and leaving earlier.

But for regular karaoke crooners like John Chan, the ban was something to savour whilst belting out the latest Canto-pop hits.

“It’s super, I don’t have to smell like cigarettes all day.”

Violators face fines of up to HK$5,000 (330 pounds) after a court summons, though the government says spot fines could be introduced within 18 months.

The government has proclaimed the smoking ban a success so far, but critics say it has instead forced smokers onto busy streets where smoking is still allowed, and to other spots where enforcement is problematic, such as in stairways and toilets.

“Now, if we need a smoke, we go out. We run in and out of buildings all day,” said Ah Chun, a teenager who was lighting up with five friends on a crowded shopping street.

The ban is also not absolute, with over 800 bars, saunas, nightclubs and mahjong parlours granted exemptions till mid-2009.

Anti-smoking advocates are hopeful the Hong Kong’s ban will set a precedent for tougher smoking laws in China, which has 350 million smokers, more than any other country.

Esther Ng, a social smoker and reveller at the Lan Kwai Fong nightlife hub, complains the ban will not resolve one of Hong Kong’s most pressing problems — the pollution which the University of Hong Kong estimates kills 1,600 people a year and costs $HK21.2 billion.

“Having the ban’s one thing. But what the government really needs to do is sort out the air pollution,” she says. “That’s what’s really killing us.”

Source: Scotsman.com

Kumar Mangat, the producer of “No Smoking,” told the Mumbai Mirror newspaper that he has hired a cameraman to catch offenders in action.

“Many people try to smoke on the sly, so I have told my cameraman to be very alert at all times,” said Mangat. “Sometimes when caught the offenders protest that 500 rupees (US$11) is too high an amount,” the daily quoted Mangat as saying.

However, he insists they pay up and plans to donate 112,000 rupees (US$2,488; euro1,874.91) collected over the past two months to a cancer hospital.

The movie is about a chain smoker, played by Bollywood heartthrob John Abraham, who undergoes rehab to help him stop smoking and save his marriage.

Abraham has quit smoking and has not been caught cheating, he said.

Among those recently fined was upcoming actor Ranvir Shorey.

“I think this fine is a bit heavy on the pocket, but it’s done in good spirit,” Shorey told the newspaper. “Anyway I’m trying to quit smoking, so I think this should help.”

Source: AP

He said that 30% of those above the age of 30 suffer from up to 40 kinds of illnesses which include heart problems and 57 types of cancer.

“Statistics show that every day about 50 teenagers below the age of 18 start smoking and most of them become hardcore smokers,” said Chua in a speech read by Kuala Dipang state assemblyman Dr Chong Fah during the anti-smoking run here Sunday.

He said that according to a recent World Health Organisation report, more than 100,000 youths started smoking daily.

“In 1998, the Government introduced therapy for smokers in four major hospitals in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Ipoh and Seremban.

“Today, 44 hospitals and 111 health centres provide this treatment,” he said.

Chua said that in 1999, about 1,000 smokers were able to kick the habit.

He added that the ministry had compounded 11,211 people for smoking in public places that year.

Of the number, 1,366 were youths.

Chua said the ministry was taking various steps to reduce the use of cigarette advertisements by sports and cultural organisations.

He said another measure taken was to direct manufacturers to reduce cigarettes’ tar content from 20mg to 15mg and nicotine from 1.5mg to 1.3mg.

About 1,000 adults and schoolchildren participated in the 4km run which was organised by the Malaysian Anti-Smoking Organisation.

The smoking ban at eating places had come into effect at the stroke of midnight. Still, many had cigarettes hanging from their lips as their eyes stayed rivetted on TV screens where Germany and Argentina were jostling for a place in the World Cup semi-finals.

Smoking is now banned at all non-airconditioned food outlets and hawker centres, except at designated smoking corners. The ban aims to minimise non-smokers’ exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) in a press statement on Thursday.

The New Paper on Sunday visited several food centres early yesterday morning. Even before midnight, ‘No Smoking’ signs and signs indicating the designated smoking areas – comprising as few as two tables at some places – were already up.

But they were mostly ignored.

At S-11 at Ang Mo Kio Ave 10, smokers were littered among non-smokers, indifferent to the large ‘No Smoking’ sign which stood in one corner. Over at Lau Pa Sat, smokers gathered under a small sign on the ceiling indicating the smoking area.

But, as the night wore on, more smokers showed up, dragging tables and chairs with them. They extended the smoking area until it was quite unclear where it ended or began. One man was seen dragging a chair to the crowded smoking area and placing his feet inside the area boundary.

He then happily lit up.

With the World Cup season in full swing, the smoking ban appears ill-timed to some. Said one middle-aged smoker, who wanted to be known only as Mr Chen: ‘It’s unfair for smokers to be allocated so little space.’ He added that he understood that the ban was for the good of non-smokers, but felt that it was at the expense of the smoking community. ‘No one thinks about how smokers will feel,’ he said.

And many, who find solace in a cigarette during the tense moments of a World Cup match, are feeling increasingly frustrated. The displeasure was evident last night. When The New Paper on Sunday team took pictures at S-11 in Ang Mo Kio, some smokers got so upset a fight nearly broke out.

Our photographer was chased off the premises. Others, like Mr Chen, thought our photographer was from the NEA, carrying out a bust. Anyone caught smoking in a non-designated smoking area will be fined $200, said an NEA spokesman. Even a win on a World Cup bet may not be able to take away the sting of being caught.

Source: New Paper

Acting upon a public interest litigation filed by advocate Prakash Mani Sharma of Pro-Public, a division bench of justices Anup Raj Sharma and Rajendra Prasad Koirala issued the order on Tuesday.

The apex court also ordered the government to ban the advertisements of cigarettes and tobacco products in the print media and also ordered the government to formulate comprehensive anti tobacco legislation.

Ordering the government to create public awareness on the harmful effects of tobacco use, the SC also asked the government to formulate an appropriate law on smoking.

The Court has also asked its monitoring committee to ensure strict enforcement of the order.

The decision came at a time 15,000 Nepalis are dying every year from tobacco related ailments. As per the order of the Court, the government also needs to mobilize mass media to raise awareness against tobacco and its impact on public health.

According to studies, a smoker inhales 25 percent smoke from a cigarette and release 75 percent in the air. The smoke released in the air contains two times higher nicotine, three times higher tar and five times higher carbon monoxide level than the inhaled smoke.

The government has banned advertisement of tobacco and alcohol in electronic media.

Source: Nepal News

The increasing trend is also blamed for multiplying the parking woes of the already suffering residents.

What is really serious about the phenomenon is that most shisha smokers wrongfully take to the hubble-bubble thinking that it poses only ‘light’ health risks compared to the serious health related complications of cigarette smoking.

Medical experts have warned that shisha has a more perilous impact on health compared to cigarette smoking. They say most shisha smokers have a misconception based on a wrongful and unscientific notion that tobacco used in shisha is herbal and does not affect body organs.

Residents of buildings with coffee shops and snack counters that serve shisha expressed their resentment over the outlets for the multiple problems they cause them. They called upon the authorities concerned to adopt certain measures to control spread of shisha outlets in the country.

It is to be noted that in their efforts to combat smoking, the health ministers of the GCC states have proposed a hike in the fees of commercial licence issued for cafes and restaurants serving shisha in the member countries. Despite several steps taken by the country to control the spread of tobacco, the UAE is considered among the world’s leading consumers of tobacco.

Medical experts have also cautioned that one of the hazards of smoking shisha is lung cancer.

“Most people misleadingly believe shisha does not contain tobacco and that when they smoke they inhale herbal products. It is the added flavours that make them feel they are smoking herbs, while they are actually taking in tobacco and are highly likely to become addicted to nicotine. Shisha smokers should realise that it is far more dangerous than cigarette smoking because the amount of nicotine in shisha can not be measured due to packing differences,” a doctor in the government sector warned.

Moreover, while smoking hubble-bubble the aluminium foil, which is usually of poor quality, reacts with the burning charcoal and produces aluminium fumes that are carcinogenic or in other words causes cancer, he said.

He clarified that the amount of carbon dioxide inhaled through shisha is very high compared to cigarette smoking, adding that one shisha smoke is equal to seven or 10 cigarettes depending on the packed ingredients.

He stressed shisha smokers should also be aware of the fact that when smoke goes through water humidity in smoke increases and it then tends to stay for a longer time in the lungs. Some germs, mainly bacteria that cause tuberculosis, live in the shisha pipe.

Source: Khalee Times

And a new study shows that cultural stigmas surrounding not smoking may prevent many of these immigrants from worrying about smoking’s effects on their health, according to study author Grace Ma, director of the Center for Asian Health at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Ma’s study focused on 100 Korean smokers participating in a smoking cessation program at the center. Sixty-one percent of the first-generation immigrants participating in the study were heavy smokers. Of all of the participants, 69 percent had not tried to quit smoking in the last three months, and 59 percent had made no attempt to quit in the last 12 months.

The participants who were most interested in quitting smoking were younger, more educated immigrants.

Social influences seem to be the biggest indicator for the high percentage of smokers in this population, the study shows. For example, a common way to instigate conversation within the Korean population is to offer a cigarette.

Also, many immigrants were simply not aware of the dangers of smoking. And, since many of the communities in which these immigrants live are somewhat segregated, they just may not be getting the message, according to Ma.

“Smoking cessation programs must be culturally tailored to Asian populations — not only in language but also intent,” Ma said in a prepared statement. “Many mainstream smoking cessation programs are not culturally appropriate to the daily life of Asian immigrants.”

Secondhand smoke is also proving to be a danger that many Korean-Americans are not aware of. Many women of this culture begin to pick up the habit as they watch and learn American culture — but still aren’t able to be reached by anti-smoking campaigns. Smoking is also perpetuated in this community as younger generations watch older generations smoke and continue the trends they witnessed as kids.

Results of the study appear in the current issue of Addictive Behaviors.

A larger study on this subject continues to determine if a culturally personalized anti-smoking campaign will help reduce smoking rates in Asian-Americans.

Source: Forbes

In the Middle East, where awareness levels remain low and smoking remains dangerously prevalent, especially among the male population, the World Health Organization (WHO) emphasised the dangers involved in failing to address the phenomenon at a regional level.

While political commitment across the region has risen, WHO officials say that little effort has been made to combat the smoking of cigarettes and shisha water pipes, popular in the Arab world. “In the East Mediterranean region, we still seem unable to take this message forward…to the general public in a way that has any meaningful impact,” reads a statement by WHO Regional Director Hussein Gezairy, which was delivered on Sunday. “Trends have changed, but I’m afraid it is for the worse.”

Although there are no precise figures on the number of smokers in the region, a recent WHO survey revealed that smoking is more prevalent than ever in the Middle East, with shisha smoking part of the daily life for many across gender and age groups.

In Egypt, the Ministry of Health is currently running an anti-tobacco campaign, issuing posters and regular information to the media on the subject. According to WHO statistics, Egypt currently runs a laboratory that works to regulate tobacco contents. Limits have also been set to regulate the maximum content of tar and nicotine in cigarettes. The limit on tar, for instance, is lower than that stipulated in Iran, but higher than in Jordan.

A 1999 survey conducted by the health ministry revealed that 35 percent of the male population were smokers, compared to only 1.6 percent of women. However, more recent studies reveal that, with the spread of the use of shisha, smoking among women and young people is becoming increasingly widespread. While tobacco companies are banned from sponsoring sports and cultural events, there is no ban on the sale of tobacco below a certain age, according to the WHO.

The WHO lists both a “lack of government commitment” and a “lack of financial resources” as key constraints to an effective anti-tobacco campaign.

In Iraq, where smoking levels are high, no organised anti-smoking group exists. However, the health ministry is planning to approach the Cabinet to issue a decision banning smoking in all ministry buildings, health ministry spokesman Dr Qassim Allawi said on Wednesday. “We’ll start in our ministry,” said Allawi. “Then we’ll ask the Cabinet to legislate a law that prohibits smoking in governmental buildings and public places.”

Source: Alertnet

The report released on No Tobacco Day on Wednesday said the law was “violated and mocked at in places where it should have been honored the most – President’s House, the Parliament and government offices.” The report said several newspapers published pictures of ministers smoking in cabinet meetings, and ashtrays of various sizes and designs on government dignitaries and elected representatives’ desks mocked the law.

The law titled ‘Prohibition of Smoking in Enclosed Places and Protection of Non-Smokers’ Health Ordinance 2002’ (Ordinance LXXIV of 2002) was enacted on June 30, 2003. The law declares hospitals, educational institutions, offices, conference rooms, domestic flights, restaurants, buses, vans, trains, indoor stadiums, gymnasiums, waiting rooms and bus stands enclosed public places, where smoking is an offence. It also restricts sale and storage of cigarettes in a 50-meter radius of any educational institution and strictly restricts underage sale.

The law sets a Rs 1,000 fine for a first-time offender, which may be increased up to Rs 100,000 for subsequent offences. The report criticised the method of the law’s implementation and said it might be the reason why no violator had been fined. Police officers or magistrates can’t take action until a complaint is received, after which there is a formal court procedure that makes ‘on the spot’ action impossible. These flaws made the law merely “symbolic”, the report said.

It said violation of the law was rampant in public transport and suggested making smoking in public transport a ‘traffic offence’.

About 430,000 people die of second-hand smoking worldwide annually, and many countries have banned smoking in offices and public places.

Source: Daily Times – Pakistan

Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control (MCTC) president Prof Dr Syed Mohamed Al Junid said about RM4 billion alone is spent to treat lung cancer,heart disease and chronic obstructive airway disease, all classified as tobacco-related illnesses.

“The tobacco industry in Malaysia is only worth between RM1.9 billion and RM2.5 billion a year in taxes but there is reluctance to conduct full and effective enforcement,” he said when interviewed recently.”

“The reality of the government’s stand is in blatant disregard of established facts and figures provided by national and international medical and health organisations.”

Acknowledging that the main dilemma hinges on economic considerations, he said the government appears to be supporting the industry because it regurgitates excuses commonly used by tobacco companies to stop or delay any cigarette tax hike.

“The revenue gap is too wide and statistics show that the healthcare cost outstrips any economic gain from tobacco or corporate taxes.”

Citing an industry favourite about the further impoverishment of tobacco farmers if cigarette taxes are increased, Syed Mohamed said appropriate data would reveal the fallacy therein.

Recently, he said, a tobacco company used this argument to delay a tax hike on kiddy-packs (packs of 10s).

“The Health Ministry acquiesced, citing the same excuses.”

According to him, there are about 20,000 tobacco farmers in the country, contributing part of the industry’s needs. The rest are imported.

“The government’s excuse based on the tobacco industry’s story is far-fetched. To me, the relationship between a tax increase and its impact on tobacco farmers is very distant. It’s not a strong argument,” he said.

“You tell me, what have farmers got to do with kiddy-packs? Moreover, the government is attempting to diversify the tobacco farmers’ activity into cultivating kenaf plants instead.”

(Kenaf is a fiber crop that is increasingly being sought by the bedding,padding and paper pulp industries.)

Syed Mohamed said the government continued to entertain the tobacco industry due to established business links and practices.

“The tobacco companies here are well-established, well-linked. In fact,some government entities hold blue-chip stocks belonging to local tobacco giant British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Bhd (BAT), hence the reluctance for strict enforcement.”

The Employees Provident Fund holds a 6.57 percent stake in BAT, a main board-listed company.

“This is only a short-term gain. There is a clear-cut case for the government to seriously cut down on tobacco and related products,” he added.

In an announcement of its first-quarter performance on April 27, BAT declared a lower pre-tax profit compared to the corresponding period last year despite a higher turnover of about RM894 million. Last year’s Q1 turnover was RM753 million.

BAT recorded a pre-tax profit of about RM235 million, down from RM277million previously.

It attributed the slight dip to “cost of debranding activities driven by regulation compliance and the price reduction of the value for money brands”.

The company which manufactures, imports and sells cigarettes, pipe tobaccos and cigars said it’s first-quarter drop in domestic volumes was due to “significant excise-led price increase” last year.

Last year BAT, which holds approximately 64 percent of the market share, posted a RM3.3 billion turnover with a after-tax profit of 1.1 billion.

Syed Mohamed, a health economics professor who consults on public health medicine at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, believes that the tobacco industry’s multi-billion ringgit average annual turnover helps to maintain a strong grip on the government’s economic sense.

“The current tax imposed on the retail price of cigarette is between 45 and 50 percent. It must be at least 65 percent in order to make smoking a very expensive habit.

“Furthermore, the tobacco industry has shifted its focus on emerging markets in developing countries especially in Asia due to the intense anti-tobacco lobby in the West,” he explained.

“In the post-1990s period, developed countries forced the industry to shift their focus to developing countries such as China, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia partly because these countries had weak regulatory framework.”

On the other hand, he said Singapore had very strong control over the media industry which, together with enforcement and health promotion, has achieved success in its tobacco-control efforts.

The MCTC has 28 organisations comprising professional bodies such as the Malaysian Environmental Health Association, non-governmental organisations and research institutes from public universities.

Source: Malaysiakini – From

The school response rate was 90.0%, the student response rate was 88.7%, and the overall response rate was 79.8%. A total of 11,630 students participated in the Philippines GYTS.

Prevalence

42.8% of students had ever smoked cigarettes (Male = 57.0%, Female = 32.0%)

27.1% currently use any tobacco product (Male = 37.3%, Female =18.4%)

21.6% currently smoke cigarettes (Male = 32.6%, Female =12.9%)

13.6% currently use other tobacco products (Male = 18.3%, Female = 9.5%)

26.5% of never smokers are likely to initiate smoking next year

Knowledge and Attitudes

25.8% think boys and 13.9% think girls who smoke have more friends

13.8% think boys and 8.9% think girls who smoke look more attractive
Access and Availability – Current Smokers

18.5% usually smoke at home

44.8% buy cigarettes in a store

46.6% who bought cigarettes in a store were NOT refused purchase because of their age

Environmental Tobacco Smoke

60.1% live in homes where others smoke

74.6% are around others who smoke in places outside their home

39.2% think smoking should be banned from public places

41.2% think smoke from others is harmful to them

56.3% have one or more parents who smoke

10.6% have most or all friends who smoke

Cessation – Current Smokers

84.8% want to stop smoking

84.0% tried to stop smoking during the past year

90.5% have ever received help to stop smoking

Media and Advertising

83.4% saw anti-smoking media messages, in the past 30 days

84.4% saw pro-cigarette ads on billboards, in the past 30 days

80.4% saw pro-cigarette ads in newspapers or magazines, in the past 30 days

17.8% have an object with a cigarette brand logo

17.6% were offered free cigarettes by a tobacco company representative

School

58.6% had been taught in class, during the past year, about the dangers of smoking

57.7% had discussed in class, during the past year, reasons why people their age smoke

64.1% had been taught in class, during the past year, the effects of tobacco use

Source:Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS)

• Studies show that about 67% of men smoke in urban areas (Phnom Penh), while in rural areas, where most people live, about 86% of men smoke.
• Men’s smoking prevalence seems to peak among older men, (50 to 70 years). Some older men began smoking during Pol Pot’s regime in the late 1970s, because smokers were given 10-minute breaks every hour from hard labour by the Khmer Rouge.
• Smoking prevalence among monks is high, particularly in rural areas.
• Tobacco companies are major advertisers, accounting for 13% of all advertising in 2000. In 1997, half of all street advertising was for tobacco products.
• Street advertising of cigarettes rose by 400% between 1994 and 1997.
• In 1997, it was estimated that cigarettes comprised 30% of all imported goods.
• Support for tobacco control is high. A 1997 survey in Phnom Penh found about 80% of respondents believed the government should ban cigarette advertisements.
• The toll from smoking is hard to estimate due to inadequate data, but a 1997 (WHO/MOH) study estimated that 6,000 Cambodians die annually from smoking.
• The average age of smoking initiation is 20 of age for men and 26 year of age for women. About 10% of Cambodians begin to smoke at the age 10-14.
• 75.5% of the population in Cambodia is exposed to Second Hand Smoke. The exposure is higher in urban areas 81% compared to rural areas 74.7% (2004 Tobacco Survey, National Institute of Statistics, Ministry of Planning).
• 80% of Cambodian children under 13 years old live in households with at least one regular smoker in the family. This turns into roughly 3.1 Million of children victims of Second Hand Smoke (2004 tobacco, poverty and socioeconomic status in Cambodia by Lidee Khmer).
• 95% of all people who are exposed to Second Hand Smoke at home would support a ban on smoking in a public place.
• The total tobacco spending for the whole Cambodia is evaluated to US$69,442,961. While rural areas are the most populated region of Cambodia and it also bears the most burden of tobacco spending, as the total tobacco spending in rural region is the highest in Cambodia. This aggravates more the poverty in the rural areas ( 2004 tobacco, poverty and socioeconomic status in Cambodia by Lidee Khmer).

Buddhist Monks: Province-specific smoking prevalence rates between 14.6% (Phnom Penh) and 37.50%
(Siem Reap)
Soldiers: 77%
Health professionals: 15%
Teachers: 11%

Smoking Prevalence is about the same for Cambodia as other Asian countries.

Figures from the World Health Organisation & Other Studies.

The award is a tribute to Luther Leonidas Terry, the surgeon general of the US from 1961 to 1965, who is credited with bringing global attention to the health threats from smoking. It is given by the American Cancer Society in recognition of individuals who contribute to the anti-smoking cause.

Ms Bang-on said several countries, including Ireland, have imposed smoking bans in entertainment venues and succeeded in reducing smoking. Ireland’s public health ministry also received this year’s award.

Beneficiaries of tobacco-free zones would include night venue workers and young patrons. If the measure bears fruit, it would also reduce medical costs for treating those suffering from smoking-related ailments, Ms Bang-on said.

The first Thai receive the Luther Terry Award was Dr Prakit Vatheesathokkit, the Bangkok senator-elect and secretary-general of the Action on Smoking and Health Foundation. He won it in 2000.

Source: Bangkok Post

THE chances are high that Filipino children aged 11 to 16 have already have tried smoking cigarettes. The probability that a child has already lighted his first stick–or worse, is a full-blown smoker–is even greater when members of his family are smoking, too. And then, of course, there is peer pressure.

A Youth Tobacco Survey by the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) Philippine Chapter among grade school and high school students in Metro Manila has reinforced what many people have been thinking all along about youth and smoking.

The survey of 2,932 respondents with an average age of 13, from twelve elementary and secondary private and public schools in Metro Manila was conducted by the ACCP after a series of “tobacco or health workshops” in these schools from 1998 to 2001.

Source: Cigarette Smoking Amongst Teens is High

The Philippines has concentrated on high cigarette tax to be used to anti-smoking campaigns since 2004.

The proposed foundation in the Philippines would get five percent or about P1 billion in funding annually from tobacco industry taxes.

Navarra also said that anti-tobacco advocates in the House of Representatives were also keen on filing a bill that would impose higher taxes on tobacco companies, which currently remit 25 percent of their revenues in excise tax.

The heavy taxation is projected to raise the prices of cigarettes by five percent every year and discourage buyers, especially the poor, from smoking, Navarra said.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer

They also have tough anti-smoking regulations (national Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003) around the capital Manila, people feel the suffering even in the commercial areas like Makati City.

Makati City, Philippines – Smokers thought they would no longer enjoy the nightlife in trendy Makati City after the local government enforced the toughest anti-smoking policy in the Philippines three years ago.

With a strict smoking ban, restaurants, bars, discos, cafes, hotels, shopping malls and cinemas in the Manila suburb were forced to shun smoking patrons to avoid being penalized or even shut down by authorities.

Source: M & C News

They have even had anti-smoking stamps!

Source: Trussel

You can find the Philippines Youth Smoking Survey Here.