Tobacco / ACTION
Kick the habit
The most effective measures to control tobacco are: • banning all promotional activity • restricting smoking in shared public spaces • continual public health education • high taxes • support for quitters
Quit!
There is no such thing as a safe cigarette. Studies show that smokers compensate for the lower nicotine of ‘low tar' cigarettes by taking deeper drags, thus maintaining the usual tar levels. Stopping – no matter how long you've smoked for or how frequently – has only benefits. Of course, it is better to stop as soon as possible. It takes on average 6-8 attempts before the habit is completely broken, so don't be discouraged if the first attempt fails. Many of the organizations in our directory offer tips and help to cope with the withdrawal symptoms.
Time since quitting & Benefits
20 minutes - Blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal.
8 hours - Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in blood reduce by half, oxygen levels return to normal.
24 hours - Carbon monoxide eliminated from the body. Lungs start to clear out mucus and other smoking debris.
48 hours - No nicotine left in the body. Ability to taste and smell greatly improved.
72 hours - Breathing becomes easier. Bronchial tubes begin to relax and energy levels increase.
2-12 weeks - Circulation improves.
3-9 months - Coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve as lung function increases.
1 year - Risk of a heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker.
10 years - Risk of lung cancer falls to half that of smoker.
15 years - Risk of heart attack falls to the same as someone who has never smoked.
Source: ASH UK
Web Extra: Read about Thami Maqhubela's struggle to quit at http://www.newint.org/issue369/suchadrag.htm
Anti-tobacco directory
ASH – Action on Smoking and Health
Each national organization is independent. ASH Australia http://www.ashaust.org.au Tel: +61 2 93341876
ASH Britain http://www.ash.org.uk Tel: +44 20 77395902
ASH Ireland http://www.ash.ie
ASH New Zealand/Aotearoa http://www.ash.org.nz Tel: +64 9520 4866
ASH US http://www.ash.org Tel: +1 202 6594310
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids http://www.tobaccofreekids.org
Tel: +1 202 2965469
Excellent visual materials on this US group’s site.
International Network of Women Against Tobacco http://www.inwat.org Tel: +1 732 5499054
US-based network with members in 70 countries dedicated to preventing tobacco use by women.
International Union Against Cancer GLOBALink http://www.globalink.org
The main forum for tobacco control advocates – bulging with information.
Network for Accountability of Tobacco Transnationals http://www.stopcorporateabuse.org/cms/page1144.cfm and http://www.treatycheck.org/NATT.htm
Worldwide NGO coalition supporting the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Legacy Tobacco Documents Library http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/
The University of California provides access to 7 million industry documents.
Non-Smokers’ Rights Association http://www.nsra-adnf.ca
Tel: +1 416 9282900
Well-researched tobacco control advocacy, based in Canada.
Freephone: 0800 002200 for this British group’s advice on quitting.
QuitNow http://www.quitnow.info.au
Hard-hitting Australian site with all the visual evidence on health effects you’re likely to want to see.
Research for International Tobacco Control http://www.idrc.ca/tobacco
Canadian project that does tobacco control outreach in the Majority World.
Tobacco Control Supersite http://tobacco.health.usyd.edu.au
A guide through the legal documents and control issues from an Australian perspective.
Tobacco Free Initiative http://www.who.int/tobacco/en/
World Health Organization initiative – a good source of statistics.
Teen smoking
Most smokers start in their teens. The health warnings can have a hard time getting through to young people for whom the risk of a heart attack or cancer years down the line can seem distant. When tobacco companies get into education, their efforts are generally useless – giving smoking the cachet of being a forbidden adult activity and making it more appealing to youngsters.
The ideal scenario would be if young people didn't have film stars or adults who smoked to emulate. But, failing that, an approach that exposes how tobacco companies manipulate young people has succeeded where others have not.
This is Florida’s ‘Truth Campaign’ (http://www.thetruth.com) and it has recently been in the news because tobacco companies want to stop funding it. They had been forced to provide the cash under the conditions of a 1998 legal settlement.
31 May - World No Tobacco Day
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Voices from the margins:
Multimedia: video, podcasts, and more.
- Poetry Slam in Zimbabwe
- The House of Hunger poetry slam held in Zimbabwe in 2006, and organised by the Pamberi Trust, showcased young artists performing inspirational work on issues from corporate power to child soldiers. The video features four of the poets.
Published by Pambazuka News.
- Iranian women speak out
- 3 March 2007, London. Women's rights activists marched through the English capital last week to celebrate International Women's Day with a protest against the misogyny of the Islamic regime in Iran and the threat of invasion by the US. Hear the voices of Iranian feminists Azar and Leila Parnian and the sounds of the demonstration as it passed through the heart of the city. Click here to learn more about the campaign.
Produced by Heidi Bachram.
- Raised Voices audio:
- Benny from West Papua on Corporate Power
- Vinayan from India on agriculture
