Tobacco kills. It causes four million deaths per year and there are..........educate the community about the importance of a tobacco-free environment.

Tobacco kills. It causes four million deaths per year and there are 1.1 billion smokers. Half of these deaths occur in the productive middle age. By 2030, it will cause 10 million deaths per year if the smoking patterns do not change.

Every day, thousands of young people around the world are trying their first cigarette and 80,000 to 100,000 are becoming regular smokers, often precipitating a lifetime of addiction and untimely death.

The World Health Organisation has reported that unless we take every action to change the trend, 250 million children alive today eventually will die from smoking. Those who die from smoking die on average 14 years earlier. One third of them will die prematurely because of their dependence on smoking.

In the future, tobacco will become the leading cause of death and disability, thus, causing more deaths worldwide than HIV, TB, suicide and homicide. Tobacco is a dangerous product and hazardous to health. Four thousand compounds have been identified in tobacco smoke and at least 43 chemicals in tobacco smoke have been determined to be carcinogenic. TAR -- used in making roads; naptilamine -- used in making paint; hydrogen cyanide -- used  a poison gas; benzyl alcohol and amyl alcohol and ammonia that gives urine it smell. Tobacco also contains nicotine, a substance that is recognized as being addictive. Tobacco dependence is also listed in the International Classification of Diseases.

Tobacco must be seen as a drag, not as a mere agricultural product. Smoking causes avoidable diseases, premature deaths and unnecessary suffering. Ecologists consider tobacco production and consumption as wasteful in all aspects.

There are more than 25 tobacco related diseases known today including cancers of the lungs, lips, oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, pancreas, larynx, trachea, bronchus and urinary bladder.

About 90% of lung cancer deaths, 80% of cases of chronic bronchitis and emphysema and 20 to 25% of coronary heart disease and stroke deaths are attributable to tobacco use. Nicotine itself has wide-ranging effects. In increases heart rate, blood flow and blood sugar. In Malaysia, it is estimated that tobacco  causes 10,000 deaths per year. The prevalence of smoking among adult Malaysian males is 47.2%. The prevalence of current smokers is high especially among the Malay male (55.6%) as compared to the Chinese male (34.1%) and Indian male (33.4%). It is estimated that 28,000 deaths a day will take place in the future if smoking patterns do not change.

To sustain an addiction which would otherwise tend to die out, the tobacco industry spends millions of dollars on advertising. This is thwarting the effort of both the government and non-government agencies to make Malaysians free from the bad habit. The Malaysian Medical Association Committee on Action on Smoking and Health has played a significant lead role in organizing the annual National No Smoking Week and stop smoking activities in the country for the past 20 years.

Currently, there is an immense wave of opinion against smoking and this is progressively changing behavior towards a healthier lifestyle in Malaysia. It is one of the important activities towards vision 2020. The International Stop Smoking and Win program (No smoking month 1st May - 31st May 2006) is a global event aimed at encouraging smoking cessation. This program aims to encourage people to stop smoking with a positive incentive. It also helps to inform the general public about harmful effects on health by tobacco consumption. It increases awareness of the community, especially among teenagers, about the hazards of tobacco. The program is a global joint event involving at least 100 countries and expects 750,000 to one million participants worldwide to give up smoking for at least a month. we must encourage our youth not to smoke and educate the community about the importance of a tobacco-free environment.

Summary: Tobacco consumption leads to addiction and untimely deaths of millions. The lead cause of death and disability will be tobacco. Smoking is dangerous to health as it contains four thousand compounds, TAR, nicotine, hydrogen cyanide, benzyl alcohol, amyl alcohol, ammonia and 43 chemicals that are carcinogenic. Tobacco production and consumption is wasteful and cause cancers, bronchitis, and heart diseases. It raises heart rate, blood flow and blood sugar. Our government is taking steps to discourage smoking through the national annual No Smoking Week, the monthly Stop Smoking and Win Program and other stop smoking programs. Changing attitude towards a healthier lifestyle helps. The programs encourage smoker to stop their habit providing positive incentive. They inform and increase awareness society awareness especially youths on adverse effects of tobacco consumption.