Tobacco Epidemic

The other day I was chatting with a dear little first-grader. A person walked by on the sidewalk and blew out a cloud of cigarette smoke. The breeze carried it toward us. She vigorously fanned her little hands, trying to push it away. “I hate the smell,” she continued. “My daddy and my grandpappy both smoke. It gives me a headache. Why do people still smoke?” Good question. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced. All forms of tobacco are harmful, and there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco. Cigarette smoking is the most common form of tobacco use worldwide, killing more than 8 million people a year, including around 1.2 million deaths from exposure to second-hand smoke. Therein lies a big problem. It is one thing to choose to smoke yourself. It is another to expose loved ones and friends to your side smoke, which increases their risk of disease and death, especially for babies and children in one’s home who have no way of escape, as well as other family members.