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A cigarette after a meal, racing over the living immortals, tobacco, an old friend who has accompanied mankind for thousands of years, is now facing unprecedented challenges.
At the beginning of the 20th century in China, tobacco was still a novel foreign product, foreigners held cigars, elegantly spewing clouds and mist, while Chinese people were curious and afraid of this "foreign thing", who would have thought that just a hundred years later, China would become the world's largest tobacco producer and consumer?
The history of the development of the tobacco industry can be said to be a history of the game between human desire and scientific and technological progress, from the initial dry tobacco, hookah, to later cigarettes, and then to today's e-cigarettes, popping cigarettes, the form of tobacco products is constantly changing, but its essence has never changed - they are all to satisfy the human thirst for nicotine.
Speaking of the tobacco industry is also a wonder, its products are obviously harmful to health, but it can prosper for a long time, there are complex historical reasons, there are also unspeakable interests of entanglement, but anyway, with the enhancement of people's health awareness, the situation of the tobacco industry is becoming more and more embarrassing, and four kinds of cigarettes have been blacklisted.
The first is e-cigarettes, when it first appeared, it was blown to the sky, what "no tar", "help quit smoking", "reduce harm", it sounds like the gospel of smokers, but is the truth really so beautiful?
In fact, although e-cigarettes do not contain tar, the harm of its main ingredient nicotine is not reduced at all, and e-cigarette liquid also contains a variety of chemicals, and its long-term effects are still a mystery.
The second is popping bead smoke, this thing is really a "goblin", you gently pinch, the fragrance is overflowing, you feel as if you are in the garden, but don't be deceived by this wonderful feeling, the spice ingredients in the popping beads will irritate the respiratory tract, long-term use may one day you will find yourself become the "three asthma" master.
The third is thin cigarettes, which are aimed at the women's market, beautifully packaged, slender, and look like the standard configuration of fashionistas, don't be deceived by its appearance, the harm of thin cigarettes is not less than ordinary cigarettes, and because the filter is shorter, you may inhale more harmful substances.
The fourth is tea tobacco, this thing under the banner of "health", claiming to replace some tobacco with tea, with health benefits, but unfortunately this is just a beautiful lie, whether it is tea tobacco or ordinary cigarettes, a large number of harmful substances will be produced in the combustion process, that little tea, can not withstand the "destruction" of high temperatures, not to mention any health benefits.
If these tobacco products are so harmful, why are so many people still smoking them? Honestly, it's a difficult question to answer, some say it's habit, some say it's stress, and some say it's boredom, but whatever the reason, one thing is for sure: quitting smoking is really hard.
With the advancement of science and technology, the tobacco industry is also constantly innovating, but are these so-called "innovative" products really "healthier" as advertised by manufacturers? In fact, whether it is e-cigarettes, popping cigarettes or thin cigarettes, there are health hazards that cannot be ignored.
Take e-cigarettes as an example, it quickly occupies the market with its fashionable appearance and diverse flavors, especially sought after by young people, e-cigarettes are not harmless, although it does not contain tar, but its main ingredient nicotine is also highly addictive, it is more vigilant that e-cigarette liquid also contains a variety of chemicals, its long-term effects have not been fully clarified, for adolescents who are in a critical period of brain development, the harm of nicotine should not be underestimated, and may cause irreversible damage to cognitive function and emotional control.
Popping bead cigarette is another tobacco product under the banner of "novelty", the filter of this cigarette contains a small capsule that can be pinched and popped, releasing a variety of flavors, but this so-called "innovation" not only does not reduce the harm of smoking, but may bring new health risks, the spice components in the popping beads may irritate the respiratory tract, increase the risk of respiratory diseases, and more importantly, the novelty of popping beads is easy to attract young people to try, which virtually increases the possibility of them becoming addicted to smoking.
Thin cigarettes are shown in the image of "women's exclusive", often mistaken for less harmful, but this seemingly "elegant" cigarette, its harm is not less than ordinary cigarettes, although each thin cigarette contains less tobacco, but smokers often make up for it by increasing the frequency of smoking, and the final intake of harmful substances will not be reduced, what is more worrying is that the marketing strategy of thin cigarettes is often aimed at women and young people, which will undoubtedly exacerbate the expansion of the smoking population and the trend of younger age.
In recent years, there has also been a kind of tea tobacco under the banner of "health", which claims to use tea instead of part of the tobacco, with health benefits, this statement is purely misleading, whether it is tea tobacco or ordinary cigarettes, a large number of harmful substances will be produced in the combustion process, including carbon monoxide, tar, nicotine and a variety of carcinogens, the so-called "tea ingredients" can not offset the harm of these harmful substances.
In the face of all kinds of "innovations" in the tobacco industry, we must stay sober, no matter how beautiful the packaging is, how beautiful the propaganda, any form of tobacco products are harmful to health, for people who already have a smoking addiction, quitting smoking is undoubtedly the best choice, although the quitting process may encounter all kinds of difficulties, but as long as you persevere, you will be successful.
At the societal level, we need to further strengthen the control of tobacco, improve relevant laws and regulations, strictly restrict tobacco advertising, increase tobacco taxes, and increase public education to let more people understand the dangers of smoking. At the same time, it is also necessary to provide smokers with more help to quit smoking, such as setting up smoking cessation clinics and providing free smoking cessation consultations.
For new tobacco products, we must maintain a high degree of vigilance, follow up relevant research in a timely manner to understand the true impact of these products, and strengthen market supervision to prevent illegal businesses from taking advantage of the opportunity to make profits.
In the face of the continuous development of the tobacco industry and the emergence of new tobacco products, we cannot ignore the deep-seated social issues behind it, which is not only a health issue, but also a complex social issue involving economy, culture and policy.
From an economic point of view, the tobacco industry is an important source of tax revenue in many countries, taking China as an example, the total tax and profit paid by the tobacco industry in 2023 reached 1.3 trillion yuan, accounting for nearly 5% of the country's fiscal revenue.
Although the WHO FCTC has been in force for many years, there are still significant differences in implementation across countries, with some countries already implementing comprehensive tobacco control policies, such as Australia's "plain" cigarettes bill, while others are still struggling with basic public smoking ban policies, which are unevenly implemented and somewhat weaken the overall effectiveness of global tobacco control.
At the legal level, we need to further improve tobacco control regulations, in addition to increasing tobacco taxes and expanding the scope of smoking ban places, we should also increase the punishment of illegal acts, and for new tobacco products, we should establish a special regulatory system to strictly control their production, sale and use.
In recent years, some tobacco companies have begun to invest in so-called "harm reduction" products, such as heat-not-burn tobacco products, which they claim are safer than traditional cigarettes, but in reality, these products still contain nicotine and other harmful substances, and we cannot allow these "harm reduction" products to be an excuse for tobacco companies to evade their responsibilities.
We also need to pay attention to the harm of secondhand smoke and third-hand smoke, second-hand smoke refers to the smoke exhaled by smokers and smoke produced by lit cigarettes, while third-hand smoke refers to the residue formed by the harmful substances in the smoke deposited on the surface of clothing, furniture and other objects, these "invisible killers" not only harm the smokers themselves, but also affect the people around them, especially children and the elderly, so when promoting the construction of a smoke-free environment, we should not only pay attention to public places, but also advocate smoke-free homes.
In the face of the globalization of the tobacco problem, the efforts of a single country are far from enough, we need to strengthen international cooperation, jointly develop a global tobacco control strategy, and provide the necessary technical and financial support for developing countries, and with the rise of new tobacco products such as e-cigarettes, we need to accelerate relevant research, formulate targeted regulatory policies in a timely manner, and be vigilant against attempts by tobacco companies to use these new products for "bleaching".
Accountability for the tobacco industry also needs to be strengthened, and tobacco companies should be held more accountable for the health harm and social costs caused by their products, including increased compensation, mandatory disclosure of internal documents, and supporting research into new smoking cessation drugs and therapies to provide smokers with more effective quitting options.
In the face of the complex global problem of tobacco, we need continuous innovation and efforts, and only with the joint participation of governments, social organizations, enterprises and individuals can we truly achieve the goal of a "smoke-free world" and contribute to the health and well-being of all mankind.
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Shi Zhi Chunqiu2024-10-15These 4 kinds of cigarettes have been included in the "blacklist", old smokers please note, it is best not to smoke!
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