“I want to be accepted by my peer group”, “it makes me feel like a grown-up”, “it makes me look classy”, “it helps me in difficult times.” With the multitude of excuses that are available, smokers cannot complain about the dearth of reasons to explain their acts. But can they find a single reason to quit this bad habit?

There are over 1.2 billion smokers in the world. Smoking causes 5 million deaths per year, an average of 13 000 deaths per day. The figures are alarming, yet cigarette smoking remains a major activity for many people around the world. In 2008, a total of 1 089 939 000 cigarettes were imported. Many smokers are unaware that every cigarette takes 7 minutes off a smoker's life. In fact smoking kills more than AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, drugs, road accidents, murder and suicide combined.

There would be very few persons in the world to say that they have never placed a lighted cigarette between their lips. They first get acquainted with the cigarette at a very young age. Generally, it is in the company of elder family members such as cousins, or through the peer group that a person smokes his/her first cigarette. However, for many, this first experience becomes one which would remain for a very long time, even for a lifetime.  What started as “I want to know what’s there in the cigarette” finally culminates into “I can’t live without the cigarette.” The strange thing is that smokers are very well aware of the dangers of smoking, yet they find themselves incapable of getting rid of it.

Peer pressure
Many teenagers start smoking due to peer pressure. Actually, this is quite common in Mauritius. In the desire to gain acceptance from their peers, many youngsters do not think twice before giving themselves to cigarettes. Other youngsters, mistaking cigarette smoking as a sign of adulthood and maturity start to smoke.

From primary school itself, children are taught that smoking is injurious to health. At home too, parents and significant others would caution the young about the dangers of the cigarette. Adolescents  may start smoking to show their rebellion against parental authority and established institutions. All these steps are in fact encouraged by peers. What worsens this state of affairs is, “l’exemple vient d’en haut.” It has been proved that children/youngsters are also more likely to smoke if their parents do.

For some youths, smoking is tantanoust to fashion. Seductive, virile, rebellious, these are the mediatic portrayal of the ‘Macho’ who smokes. But in reality, this image is but a poor reflection of a smoker’s sexual capacities. An adolescent who smokes risks becoming impotent as from the age of thirty. The more a person smokes, the more the risk increases.

Women are not spared the disadvantages of smoking. De facto, a woman, in relation to her physical and moral make, is even more vulnerable; she may be an active or a passive smoker. A pregnant smoker risks miscarriage, late development of the foetus, sudden death of her infant, and the birth of an underweight baby.

Global epidemic
Tobacco use is not only a global epidemic but also a major health problem. Tobacco smoke, comprising more than 4 000 chemicals is dangerous not only to smokers but also to non-smokers often referred to as passive smokers. As a matter of fact, the smoker inhales just 15% of the smoke emanating from a cigarette. The principal amount of smoke, that is, the 85% pollutes the air in the surrounding. As such, even non-smokers inhale the smoke exhaled by the smoker.

Keeping in mind the protection of non-smokers’ health, the government of Mauritius has put restrictions on the consumption of tobacco products in public. This law came in force as from March 1, 2009. Smoking is prohibited in indoor areas (that is, any space with a roof and /or more walls), in public transport, outdoor premises of health, educational and sport institutions, recreational places including public gardens and excluding beaches; cafes, bars, nightclubs and restaurants; bus stands, bus stations; while preparing, serving or selling foods in public places; while driving or traveling in a private vehicle carrying passengers.

Additionally, all public places where smoking is prohibited should be equipped with a “No Smoking” sign.
Other main measures taken for the same purpose, but which came into effect as from Monday 1, 2009 are, firstly, the banning of advertisement and promotion of cigarettes. Shop-owners are not to put on display tobacco products for sale. This kind of display is allowed only in duty free shops at airports. Secondly, in order to reduce access to tobacco products, the buyer's age may be demanded so that cigarettes are not sold to minors. Thirdly, control has been put on illicit trade by the obligatory insertion of the name of manufacturing countries on all cigarette packets. Fourthly, control has also been set up in terms of the packaging and labelling of cigarette packets. The sale of retail and of 10-cigarettes packet has  been prohi­bited.

The new laws also require that there be text warning on both sides of the packages (65% of the surfa­ce) and photo warnings in front of and back of package (50% in front and 80% at the back). Furthermore, the dis­play of wordings like “mild”, “low tar”, “light”, etc on ciga­rette packets are to be eli­minated.

The penalties too have been amended. The owner or responsi­ble person commits offence if no reasonable steps are taken to prevent smoking in a public place. Failure to abide by the law may lead to fines up to Rs 10 000, and imprison­ment up to 12 months.  In spite of all the measures put forth by the government, smokers do not hesitate to light their cigarettes in public places. Shop owners do not refrain from selling cigarettes to minors. As such the health of others is not being respected, as intended. The fact remains that theory is not always translated into practice.

Anti-tobacco Day
With the aim of seconding the government in its endeavours, the Ligue Vie et Sante (ViSa Association), presided by Veronique Le Clezio, has organised a series of activities to mark the World Anti-Tobacco Day celebrated on May 31. The theme this year was: cautioning people about the dangers of tobacco. A comic strip entitled “Sigareth”, written by Titane Laurent, along with a DVD named “Dir la vérité” having for tenets information about the effects of smoking have been put at the disposal of the public. On Sunday May 31, a march was organised in Port-Louis to sensitise people against the dangers of smoking. The president of ViSa has also accentuated the need of visual warnings on cigarette packets. She also appealed to the smokers to think over the ad­van­tages of a smoking-free life.

Veronique Le Clezio draws attention to the fact that very often, the majority of smokers happen to be living in poor conditions. She says that the percentage of smokers in poor quarters is five times more than those found in the rich milieu. She further expounds by saying that smokers and their family members (who tend to become passive smokers) have to spend money to cure ailments caused by smoking. Avoiding futile expenditure is possible, only if smokers realise how much they are spending on the death-causing product which is the cigarette. Money spent in buying death can be used efficiently, that is, by paying off debts, by improving lifestyle, by investing intelligently.

ViSa Association firmly believes that there is a strong bond between cigarette smoking and AIDS. Nicotine found in the cigarette sticks is the first drug to which a person gets addicted. De facto, nicotine which requires only 7 seconds to reach the brain, is the drug which initiates the smoker to other drugs. Once the smoker gets addicted to drugs, the risk of his or her getting affected by HIV grows up. Consequently, through sexual relationships, the HIV gets propagated to the partners and furthermore to offsprings. If seen well, smoking remains a vicious circle.

To smoke or not to smoke: it is a choice. If not for the goodwill of the person, neither sensitisation nor lawful restrictions can be of much help. It is also unjust that non-smokers have to pay the price for the negligence of others...