People urged to quit smoking
(CNS): The country’s health minister called on the community to stop smoking, Tuesday in a message to observe World No Tobacco Day. Mark Scotland said that today is a good day to quit. “If you know someone who smokes, encourage them to put it out for good, because everyone deserves a smoke-free environment,” he said. The message comes in the wake of news from the National Drug Council that more young people than ever before have admitted to smoking in its latest student drug survey. Despite now having comprehensive anti-smoking legislation in place the survey found the number of kids admitting to smoking has doubled.
The NDC said that while students are reporting smoking more there is very little specific evidence as to why. The council noted that there had been significant decreases in the level of smoking among students between 1998 and 2006 before the significant increase in the 2010 survey which was released earlier this month. “We do note that perception of risk and availability does play a role in student drug use,” Joan West-Dacres, the Executive Director of the NDC told CNS.
As part of World No Tobacco Day the Public Health staff and the Cancer Society will be taking the ‘smoking is not cool’-message to schools with a series of presentations.
With the pressures placed on the health service by smoking related diseases the goal is to help existing smokers quit and to prevent young people from taking up the habit. Around the world smoking kills more than five million people a year – an average of one person every six seconds – and accounts for one in 10 adult deaths. But before it kills people tobacco causes and aggravates a variety of serious and painful illnesses, and is regarded as the number one public health threat in the world.
This year the focus of the no tobacco day is the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC). The FCTC calls for comprehensive legislation including provisions to protect people from exposure to tobacco smoke. Other provisions include the prohibition of the sale of tobacco products to minors, the prohibition of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, and the need to regulate product disclosure, packaging and labelling of tobacco products. The current Cayman Islands Tobacco Law supports all of the requirements in the convention.
“We can also take pride in the fact that we are one of the first countries in the Caribbean to enact anti-tobacco legislation ensuring a smoke-free environment for all our residents,” said Scotland as he urged people to quit smoking.
One of the most dangerous activities in the world tobacco smoking is linked to a catalogue of health problems and early deaths. Ninety percent of lung cancer cases are among smokers. If no-one smoked, lung cancer would be a rare diagnosis with only 0.5 per cent of people who've never touched a cigarette developing lung cancer. One in ten moderate smokers and almost one in five heavy smokers (more than 15 cigarettes a day) will die of lung cancer. A significant number of other cancers are also much higher in smokers.
However, despite the well-documented scientific evidence that smoking kills as nicotine is extremely addictive it is one of the most difficult drugs to quit. This means that government’s that are serious about reducing smoking levels need to introduce comprehensive public health programmes to assist people in stopping smoking.
See minsters full World No Tobacco Day message below
Category: Health
I just have a question and some observations in regard to the statement in the article that says, "Around the world smoking kills more than five million people a year – an average of one person every six seconds – and accounts for one in 10 adult deaths."
Interesting. But I have to smile at those scary stats because of the simplistic way they are worded. My question is: How many of the dead people in the above stats would not experience death or develop a serious illness if they had not ever smoked?
OK. Since we are in the game of skewed stats and creative correlation, here is my contribution:
Q. Looking at statistical correlations, what is the number one factor certain to result in the death of an individual?
A. Being the result of a live birth.
Since live births are the result of pregnancy, we can say with absolute certainty that the outcome of pregnancy will always be the death of at least one person. Figuring in the maternal mortality rates related to pregnancy, the incidences of multiple live births per pregnancy, and those people resulting from live births contributing to the deaths of others, we can safely say postulate that pregnancy culminating in an instance of live birth results in greater than one death per such incidence. We can assume that many of these people, prior to dying will experience pain and suffering resulting from illness or injury.
We can conclude that if we eliminate pregnancy, eventually all human illness and suffering and death will cease. Therefore, there should be a required warning label on the genitalia of all people once they reach puberty. Great idea! Sounds logical to me. It certainly might prevent a lot of suffering and dying.
PS: Someone just informed me that Mr. Scotland has said that everyone deserves a bullsh_t free environment too; therefore, he is urging all people not to vote for Mac in the next election.
there are a lot of people who are healthy and end up with cancer, i have seen a person walking across the road who was then hit by a drunk driver and ended up losing her life, some might say that when a person dies it is LIFE we can not remain on this earth forever.
the only reason why people are complaining, having done this survey on high school kids, majority have admitted to at least trying a cigarette, did it say that they were hooked on it? while we are on this subject, what about students in high school doing the french kissing and ended up dropping out of school because they got pregant IN SCHOOL, What about gang fights targeting the weaker students, I guess they were trying to see what it was like, so where are the protesters and MR. SCOTLAND on this matter i thought they went to school to get an EDUCATION.
As these students grow up, do you think that it will be only cigarettes that you have to worry about (LOL), just wait until they leave home and travel abroad for colleges where they are free, no parents to watch them, all the parties, estacy, sex groupies and so forth, as they say CURIOUSITY KILLED THECAT.
But i agree that yes smoking is dangerous to a person health but you can not stop that person, that is a choice that person has to make who He/She is hurting, and yes implement non smoking areas so that other people may smell the dump more, and other pollution (LOL)
If you smoke, please stop, and if you have not started please do not even think about it. Your health will thank you.
If you voted UDP please stop, if you have never voted UDP do not even think about it. Your nation will thank you.
Yes, please. It has surpassed tobacco as the number one public health threat in Cayman.
Raise duties on Tobacco if you want to make an impact on cigarette smoking. This will not only change the behavior but the culture of smoking. There has to be an education program children and adults as well. Panama was successful at what they did. Now don’t take Mac and the whole West Bay political hangers on to Panama. Just ask the Panama government what was so great about their anti Tobacco program. I don’t think Mark has the guts. I would love for him to prove me wrong. The other health Minister did not have any at all.
Nice try but really won't work. Where do you think most if not all of the crime comes from? To support their habits, whether that be for ganja, alcohol, cocaine, cigarettes or any other drug we know of today being addictive to a point of committing crimes for. All we would do is add to the current crime trend.
One can ban all you want but if theperson doing the abuse is either in denial, stubborn or whatever you wish to call it, he/she will not stop until they think it is time to do so for whatever reason regardless of age, gender or substance for that matter.
Ever lived with an alcoholic? I have and the story is not funny for neither party but we eventually got there after about 20 years. Smoking may be not be adviseable to anyone but sure beats the hell out of alcoholism.
On a last note, if you wish to be free of air pollution? Beter stay at home in a vacuum bag then as outside in the open air is usually not much better half or more of the time so we might as well stop driving our cars, trucks and whatever too. Get the point?
Oh yeah, here we go again, tell me, if you notice a person at say an outside patio bar smoking a cigarette, non smokers would probably say, disgusting, how can they do or allow that in here. Now, here comes a person, piss drunk out of his mind crashing on to your lovely dining table, what would you say? Well, at least he was not smoking?
Give me a break people, alcohol has and will kill 1000 times more people then cigarettes will ever do, no matter how you look at it.
At least I can say he does not drink outside of his home.
yeah…the earth is flat too…..
Yay! A nanny state!
Where is the Cayman Islands Cancer Society? They have a Quit Smoking program, educational programs for school children and give out all sorts of materials to the public about the hazzards of smoking. Each year they are provided with what seems to be good support from the community and this very important day seems to be just another day. I have supported the Cancer Society for years and am very saddened that they don't even have any public awareness for World No Tobacco Day!
Good question! The Cancer Society is of the most supported charitable groups in Cayman and their "Board of Directors" seem to be pretty quiet and ineffective. I hear they also have a new overseas administrator while over twenty locals applied for the job. Who is managing our donations!?!
While your at it Mr. Scotland, why don't you raise duties on Tobacco??
Perhaps Mark and his buddies in the UDP can stop blowing smoke in everyones faces about this project and that project, doing this and not doing that.
Practice the words you all preach.
I agree RAISE THE PRICE to somewhere near the UK or canadian price ($12.00/pack).
If governments were to legalised ganja or marajuana and do the same restrictions with it like they do to nicotine (cigarettes), prohibiting them from smoking in public places and whilst operating a vehicle, and regulate surgeon general like warnings on their packets for sale. Trust me, government will save money in the millions, and many people will use their commonsense and abstain from it. Even the drug king will lose business and would have to find another good to make his dollars.
But here, it is rediculous. They catch you with a small parcel of ganja, you have to go through tons of paper work, waste people's time at the courts, and if you are first time offender, get lock up for two years with other criminals. When you're out, the business community don't want anything to do with you!
We need some reforms regarding ganja, because it is a soft drug just like alcohol and nicotine.
This is not saying all but for many people (generally young male adults) it kills ambition and desire to do anything more than (b)laze around. Thereby not being a productive member of society
I think that is where comes in Information Warefare – educating our young people is more effective by trying to barricade them with rules and prohibitions
'because everyone deserves a smoke-free environment'……..what about the people who work in the cigar bars????
wern't these places meant to have installed high tech a/c equipment after 12 months???
The government dragged its feet so long on the smoking ban & has had nothing of an education programme in place, for young people to influence them against smoking, is it any wonder the usage is on the increase? Many countries have had anti-smoking laws in place over 15 years now, why so slow here Mr. Scotland?
ppm gov deserves most blame for failure to implement the smoking ban sooner….the list of delays and excuses during their term was laughable….
Your accusation is irrelevant, unfair and indeed laughable.
14:57 why should his/her comments be irrelevant unfair and laughable………..it's simply the truth and nothing but the truth and the truth hurts!!
They are also completely uncalled for but judging by the nature of the thumbs he/she (and you) are getting they must must be worth SOME kind of consideration.
I do not care how many thumbs down i get for stating the truth,cause the truth is the truth, and by the way 1,000,000 thumbs up here on CNS for pro ppm comments means nothing,(nada,zero,)cause dream all you want ppm will never win another election in our life tjme and thats a long long time.lmao
My My. The truth does hurt, doesn't it.
Surely you MUST have some little idea that there is at least one more voter in Cayman besides you and the poor looney that you are so desperately defending? The one who quite clearly states that he/she doesn't even SUPPORT the UDP? JEEZ.
its not an accusation…. it is the truth….and i'm no udp either!
Since you're not UDP and obviously not PPM, wehave to assume you're not only NOT doing yourself and your country justice or you're an alien, or both. If you can't be bothered to care that much about yourself and your country please sit down and shut up with your ignorant posts.
????
look at the facts…..anthony eden failed to bring in the legislation in 4 years …something that could have been done in 6 months,…. but then again that seems to be par for the course in cayman….
I can understand why you are ashamed to admit that you are UDP but given the partisan irrelevant comment there is no doubt at all that you are.
maybe you should address the issue…. look at the facts..don't ignore them