The Impact of Smoking

The tobacco industry in the West expended rapidly in the early part of the 20th century and created for itself a glamourous image. This was backed with a big budget and high-profile advertising leading to both men and women adopting the smoking habit.

Gradually scientific advancement lead to accumulation of knowledge about the adverse effects of smoking. Public pressure began to mount on the tobacco companies and on the government to control these companies. This has recently culminated in a landmark decision wherein American tobacco companies will put in US $360 billion in a fund for various activities related to damages of smoking.

The concern is that these companies after being forced out of Western countries will now market their products in developing countries which are less capable of fighting them and protecting their citizens.

However, smoking is already widely prevalent in developing countries. Generally speaking, particularly in rural areas, the people smoke either a "bidi" which is tobacco rolled into a leaf or a "hookah" which is tobacco smoke filtered through rose water and then inhaled. Smoking a hookah is considered a social grace and a way to pass time among rural men. They sit together and share a common hookah which is passed around from person to person. When questioned about why they smoke a hookah the almost universal response among men is "to be a part of the group." In fact grandfathers will often teach their young grandchildren how to puff on a hookah. Hookah

Even more interesting is the smoking habit amongst rural women. Smoking a bidi or a hookah is used as a home remedy for various ailments such as tooth-ache or nausea in pregnancy. Thus when young women get pregnant they are initiated into the smoking habit by their mother-in-law to reduce nausea. Once acquired it remains a life-long habit.

A bidi and hookah have minimal amounts of tar and other carcinogens. Thus, cancer of the lungs is not common amongst the rural elderly. However, the other adverse effect of smoking which is serious damage of the lungs leading to chronic bronchitis and emphysema are almost universal among elderly men and women. Many people are crippled from being short of breath and chronic cough. There is hardly any awareness that this is due to the damaging effects of smoking.
Picture: A Hookah