For WHO? The ANTI'S??!!
Posted on 05/28/2004 2:20:58 PM PDT by Jean S
GENEVA (AP) - Tobacco use kills almost 5 million people a year worldwide and the toll could double within 20 years, the head of the U.N. health agency said Friday.
In comments ahead of the annual World No Tobacco Day on Monday, Lee Jong-wook said most tobacco-related deaths occur in developing countries, placing a huge burden on health services that cannot afford the extra costs.
For example, the director-general of the World Health Organization noted that the annual cost of treating tobacco-related diseases in Egypt is an estimated $546 million.
"The world cannot accept such easily preventable human and economic losses," Lee said.
The number of tobacco users is now 1.3 billion, but that is expected to increase to 1.7 billion in 2025, WHO said.
"Consumption is inversely related to the socio-economic level - it goes up as the standard of living goes down," Lee said.
"I urge everyone to think of how we can help to break the vicious circle of the poor consuming tobacco more, and tobacco consumption increasing poverty."
Tobacco also can damage countries' economies through increased health-care costs; the loss of foreign exchange, since most countries are net tobacco importers; the loss of tax revenues because of smuggling; and the environmental damage from tobacco cultivation.
Many governments organize events May 31 to commemorate World No Tobacco Day, meant to spotlight the fight against smoking-related illnesses.
Lee urged more countries to sign WHO's landmark anti-tobacco treaty, which aims to direct policies to reduce the health and economic damage of tobacco. WHO concluded the treaty in May 2003.
Of WHO's 192 member states, 118 - including the United States - have signed it. Sixteen have ratified it, although U.S. lawmakers have not done so. The treaty needs to be ratified by 40 countries to take effect.
Lee said the treaty "will become a powerful means of controlling this entirely unnecessary threat to health and welfare. Countries should lose no time in signing and ratifying the convention."
Countries have until June 29 to sign the treaty, which also sets out provisions and minimum standards signatories will have to respect in their tobacco-control programs.
AP-ES-05-28-04 1703EDT
In the meantime, the UN oil for food scandal has sunk from sight quicker than Air America after the election.
The Kerry campaign blamed President Bush's ties to the tobacco industry, as well as his rushing into health care without an adequate plan. Sen. Kerry promises to work closely with the U.N. to build low-nicotine and anti-tobacco alliances.
Lies, all lies. Stress causes cancer coupled with genetic predisposition. That's why children can be born with cancer, or women can lose a breast without smoking a day in their life.
Hell the UN is the only place in NY where you can smoke.
World No Tobacco Day?
This is a joke,right?
What hypocrites---"Do as I say,not as I do".
How is it that babies can be stressed to the point of getting cancer?
ATTENTION ALL----MONDAY IS WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY!
On Monday we all should stand,smoke free,hold hands,and sing"We are the world,we are the children-----"
I'm getting tears in my eyes right now from the beauty of it all!
NO dear, it's not a joke.
Also some cancers are caused by viruses.....cervical cancer is the perfect example.
Even though it is common knowlege in the medical community that HPV causes 98-99% of all cervical cancers, the antis still claim that it is caused by smoking.
I was going to do it tomorrow - but I will wait until Monday to plant my tobacco!!!!!!!
Have to honor No Tobacco Day, don't I????????
"Tobacco use kills almost 5 million people a year worldwide "
Prove it empirically, UN; or in the alternative, STFU!
For WHO? The ANTI'S??!!
ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!
Perfect, perfect graphic!!!!!!!!!!!!
As I was replying to you post Jax came up and asked me if that was a horse and what was it doing - You don't know how careful I had to be in the way I answered her!!!!!!!!
And on that note - I've got to get moving.......coolbreeze has been in Atlanta all week, but called me earlier to say he was able to catch an earlier flight. His plane is probably landing about now, if not already and he has a 2 hour drive home......but I've got a sink full of dishes and a couple of other things I need to get done. He wasn't supposed to get home until after midnight!!!
Talk soon!!!
Since they don't get Saddams oil money anymore, they are going afte tobacco. And what do you bet they only go after American tobacco companies-- because they wouldn't stop asian farmers from making money on tobacco because asian contries are considered "least developed countries" in UN parlance and therefore they can do anything they want.
Isn't the world sick yet, of the UNs totalitarian control of every aspect of life on earth?
I am a non-smoker, but what angers me are the zealots who try to confuse smoking-related with smoking-caused. They are not the same thing.
A couple of years ago, a friend of mine died from lung cancer caused by high levels of radon in her house. Even though she didn't smoke a day in her life, her death was from a disease that's considered smoking-related.
Oh Gabz! It's a DONKEY. Or JACKASS. LOL!
Ok. Hope he has a good flight home. Talk to you later.
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