Na From Germany, joined Dec 1999, 9605 posts, RR: 10 Posted (4 years 3 months 3 days 13 hours ago) and read 1168 times:
While in the Western countries the number of smokers is finally declining because more and more people its really poison and not pleasure China faces a major problem.
A study published on yahoo today says 100.000.000 Chinese men will die from smoking in the next 40 years if the trend to more smoking is not reversed. 1 in 3 cigarettes worldwide are consumed by Chinese. Economical boom surely does not make people wiser, in the case of China it sadly seems to be the opposite.
AustrianZRH From Austria, joined Aug 2007, 1264 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (4 years 3 months 3 days 13 hours ago) and read 1154 times:
Quoting Na (Thread starter): A study published on yahoo today says 100.000.000 Chinese men will die from smoking in the next 40 years if the trend to more smoking is not reversed.
What are the corresponding numbers for, say, Germany, the US, or France? Just asking to get a relative number. 100,000,000 sound like a huge number, but one also has to remember China has a population of 1,300,000,000.
Btw, I'm a non-smoker and not trying to defend smoking .
WARNING! The post above should be taken with a grain of salt! Furthermore, it may be slightly biased towards A.
Na From Germany, joined Dec 1999, 9605 posts, RR: 10 Reply 3, posted (4 years 3 months 3 days 13 hours ago) and read 1142 times:
The figure of 100 million equates equals to every third Chinese man who is going to die in the next 4 decades. This marks an increase of almost 200% since 1990!
Seems China desparately needs an anti-smoking campaign.
Allrite From Australia, joined Aug 2007, 1409 posts, RR: 3 Reply 6, posted (4 years 3 months 3 days 4 hours ago) and read 990 times:
Quoting OHLHD (Reply 5): It is their own bad luck! Nobody forces them to smoke.....
I think that you will find that the average Chinese person is a lot less informed about the dangers of smoking in comparison to the west. Many probably believe that it is a healthy habit.
China's health services are already massively overstretched and many victims (of all sorts of ailments) cannot afford treatments that we probably take for granted, so are left to suffer and die.
No doubt there are members of the government that own shares in tobacco companies and would resist moves to prevent smoking. Just look at Japan's government tobacco monopoly.
That said, I tend to think that the government should have a monopoly on tobacco production with all profits funnelled back into the health service - but with the target of minimising sales - an anti-company! Prevailing wisdom says that governments are crap at running businesses anyway.
Flighty From United States of America, joined Apr 2007, 7433 posts, RR: 2 Reply 7, posted (4 years 3 months 3 days 4 hours ago) and read 988 times:
Some thoughts on this,
First, everybody dies of something. Those people will all die of something even if they don't smoke.
Second, China has good life expectancy. The fact that Americans eat too much is probably more dangerous (and leads to lower quality of life) than smoking.
Another thing, people are beginning to take notice that China's enormous population of adults will be a monumental challenge for their children to support. Talk about nursing homes, China is about to become one of the world's oldest countries full of gray haired grandmas and grandpas. They don't have enough kids!! Too many old people!
If smoking were eliminated, people would live to 85 instead of 72. Maybe that is great, but, China will have more old people than they know how to handle. They will have plenty of grandmas and grandpas for every child. Plus they like a good smoke, so why not.
Flighty From United States of America, joined Apr 2007, 7433 posts, RR: 2 Reply 8, posted (4 years 3 months 3 days 3 hours ago) and read 982 times:
Quoting Allrite (Reply 6): I think that you will find that the average Chinese person is a lot less informed about the dangers of smoking in comparison to the west. Many probably believe that it is a healthy habit.
Yes, definitely have encountered that. Not only are they uninformed, they have different desires. Maybe they don't want to live past 85. It is hard for a developed country resident to talk about quality of life issues with someone whose social structure and comfort level is totally different.
Chinese air pollution is so bad though, you lungs are being destroyed anyway so why not enjoy it.
Geekydude From China, joined Apr 2004, 398 posts, RR: 2 Reply 9, posted (4 years 3 months 3 days 3 hours ago) and read 960 times:
Quoting Allrite (Reply 6): That said, I tend to think that the government should have a monopoly on tobacco production with all profits funnelled back into the health service - but with the target of minimising sales - an anti-company! Prevailing wisdom says that governments are crap at running businesses anyway.
That's a good idea and should work as it's been battle tested in other countries. But I remember taking a public finance class a long time ago, and the prof said half jokingly that letting people smoke would save the government tons of moeny in terms pension spending and health care. So I wonder if the decision makers at the top have factored in that calculation given that a huge chunk of the population is heading toward retirement.
Also the cigarette companies are so well connnected since they are so profitable and paying huge sums of taxes. I doubt the government will ever have the will to slap an excise tax conmersurate with those in Western countries.
FLIB 152 'heavy' low approach...Caution wake turbulance!
Allrite From Australia, joined Aug 2007, 1409 posts, RR: 3 Reply 10, posted (4 years 3 months 3 days 2 hours ago) and read 927 times:
Quoting Geekydude (Reply 9): I remember taking a public finance class a long time ago, and the prof said half jokingly that letting people smoke would save the government tons of moeny in terms pension spending and health care.
Surely one of the problems of smoking related illnesses is that they often cause the sufferer to go through a high dependency period where their physical capabilities are reduced, but they can still "function" at reduced efficiency in society - thus increasing the burden on society.
I'm wondering if Chinese roads are another population control measure - it would be difficult enough for a sprightly youth to cross them, let alone an older person!
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