Malaysia spends a staggering average of RM20 billion each year, almost tenfold the tax revenue collected from the tobacco industry, to treat tobacco-related diseases, a local anti-tobacco advocacy group said. 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 [...]

The Philippines GYTS includes data on prevalence of cigarette and other tobacco use as well as information on five determinants of tobacco use: access/availability and price, environmental tobacco smoke exposure (ETS), cessation, media and advertising, and school curriculum. These determinants are components the Philippines could include in a comprehensive tobacco control program. The school response [...]

Smoking is a serious issue in Cambodia, as you can see nicotine addiction really plagues the rural areas with an almost 90% useage of cigarettes. 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 [...]

An award-winning anti-tobacco activist has proposed a ban on smoking at nightspots, saying this would bring wide-ranging benefits to society. Bang-on Ritthipakdi, the Association of Southeast Nations’ tobacco consumption control coordinator and recipient of the Luther Terry Award, said the government should designate entertainment venues as smoke-free zones. She has campaigned for the control of [...]

Smoking in the Philippines is a huge problem, teens are starting smoking very early and a large percentage of the population is addicted to nicotine. 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 [...]