¡@¡@In
order for the general public to have a better idea about the world
of tobacco, we have listed here several facts from around the
world. Hopefully the ones on the black list could be taken off
soon, and the ones on the A list could continue the good work.
¡·
Birthplace of Tobacco Leaves: Cuba
¡@¡@Based on reliable information, Cuba is the birthplace of tobacco
leaves. When Christopher Columbus discovered the new continent,
the native Arawaks gave him tobacco leaves as a present. Although
some thought that the Chinese has been planting tobacco long before
Christopher Columbus brought tobacco into Europe, there is no
concrete proof of that.
¡·
First country to bring tobacco into Europe: Spain
¡@¡@More
than 500 years ago, in 1492, after Christopher Columbus discovered
the new continent, Spain was the first country to bring tobacco
leaves into Europe. Traditionally the Spanish people think that
smoking is a right that comes from birth, therefore the Spanish
people are the number one smokers just behind the Greeks.
¡·
The most popular non-food corp: Tobacco
¡@¡@Tobacco
is the most popular non-food crop, it is vital to the well-being
of the financial and economic policies of some countries.
¡·
Largest smoking population: China
¡@¡@Of
the 1.3 billion smoking population in the world, 320 million of
them are in China, making it the country with the largest smoking
population. The number of young smokers are on the rise in China
as well. The percent of male smokers in college, in high school,
and in junior high school is 46%, 45%, and 34%, respectively.
Every year more than 1 million people die from lung cancer, cardiovascular
disease, and other smoking related diseases, which is higher than
the mortality rate of tuberculosis, AIDS, auto accident, and suicide
combined. It is predicted that by 2025, there will be 2 million
people dying from smoking related diseases.
¡·
Largest cigarette producer: China
¡@¡@China
produces one third of the total number of tobacco products in
the world, making it the largest producer.
¡·
Largest cigarette consumer: China
¡@¡@China
consumes one third of the total number of tobacco products in
the world, making it the largest consumer.
¡·
Highest cigarette usage per person: Greece
¡@¡@Based
on a survey made by the WHO to find out the average cigarette
usage per person in 1990, Greece has the highest number, at 2800
cigarettes per year.
¡·
First Country to completely ban smoking: Bhutan
¡@¡@The founder of the modern-day
Bhutan Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyal had prohibited the general public
from smoking or chewing tobacco in government buildings or places
of worship in 1629. Starting in 1997, a new anti-tobacco movement
called "Health and Religion Project" was placed into
effect. This project used a double-barrel approach to enable most
citizens to quit smoking successfully. The government did not
actually enact any strict regulations to stop smoking, as people
from 92% of the areas took it upon themselves to quit smoking.
¡·
First country to completely ban smoking in public places: Ireland
¡@¡@¡@Ireland
is the first country in the world to ban smoking in all indoor
public places. Other countries, such as Norway, Sweden, Bhutan,
and New Zealand, followed suit as well. Not allowing smoking in
the workplace shows respect to other workers, as well as creating
a clean indoor environment.
¡·
First country to prohibit pregnant women from smoking: Taiwan
¡@¡@According
to Taiwan's Amendment to Tobacco Control and Prevention Draft,
pregnant women are not allowed to smoke. Violators will be required
to attend smoking cessation classes, otherwise she will be fined.
Even the people who sold cigarettes to pregnant women will be
fined as well. Taiwan has thus become the first country to penalize
pregnant women for smoking in the world.
¡·
First country to prohibit cigarette sale at the airport's duty-free
shops: Bhutan
¡@¡@According
to the minister of Department of Health of Bhutan, they are doing
all they could to completely eliminate the tobacco products from
the country. Bhutan has become the benchmark for other countries
to follow. Prohibiting the sale of cigarettes at the airport's
duty-free shops is the first in the world.
¡·
The countries with the strictest guideline for warning labels
on tobacco product packaging: Brazil and Venezuela
¡@¡@Brazil
and Venezuela require the warning label to take up 100% of the
area on one side of the tobacco product packaging, so they are
the strictest nations.
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