Tanzania: We Should Always Say ''No'' to Tobacco

Source from:  Tanzania Daily News 04/22/2015

Coming soon is a "no tobacco day." This is a day to bring recognition to saying no to tobacco use. Even though the world knows that tobacco is bad, many still use it to make cigarettes and smoke.

Part of the danger of tobacco is that the additive components found within the plant and thus the cigarettes. Over the last fifty years science has found that tobacco is one of the worlds most dangerous product.

How bad is tobacco use?

According to the world health organization, Tobacco use is often so prevalent and dangerous that in some places its use is epidemic.

The outcome is that using tobacco kills nearly six million people a year. More than five million people dieas a result of direct tobacco use while others die from secondary smoke.

In other words, ... more than 600 000 are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second- hand smoke. Approximately one person dies every six seconds due to tobacco, accounting for one in 10 adult deaths.

Up to half of current users will eventually die of a tobacco-related disease. Nearly 80% of the more than one billion smokers worldwide live in lowand middle-income countries, where the burden of tobacco-related illness and death is heaviest.

users who die prematurely deprive their families of income, raise the cost of health care and hinder economic development. In some countries, children from poor households are frequently employed in tobacco farming to provide family income.

These children are especially vulnerable to "green tobacco sickness", which is caused by the nicotine that is absorbed through the skin from the handling of wet tobacco leaves.

Tobacco Day Still Matters

With so many deaths, the thought of a day to help remind others of the dangers of tobacco use seems unnecessary. However, many not only continue to use tobacco, but it is also a day to help call recognition that cigarettes can be lethal conveyors of chemicals. One thing about "No Tobacco" day, is that it draws attention to illegal tobacco sales.

Such sales of illegal tobacco are growing and deadly. For many buying illegal cigarettes can result in tobacco that is laced with harmful ingredients.

Smoking is Bad for Your Health

According to the World Health Organization,Tobacco caused 100 million deaths in the 20th century.

If current trends continue, it may cause one billion deaths in the 21st century. Unchecked, tobacco-related deaths will increase to more than eight million per year by 2030.

More than 80% of those deaths will be in low- and middle-income countries. Health Matters At the end of the day, smoking cigarettes is bad for your health and your health matters！ Enditem