Of course smoking is addictive and a proportion of smokers ( perhaps a third ) either can't or don't want to give up. It’s declining in the Western world but continues to increase in many " developing " countries, especially in women. If the entire population could be persuaded to stop smoking, the effects on healthcare alone would be enormous.


National campaigns, bans on advertising, and a substantial increase in the cost of cigarettes are ways of achieving this. Smoking bans in the workplace and public spaces may also help. Active encouragement to stop smoking, perhaps with " e-cigarettes " or drugs such as " Varenicycline ", is a useful approach for individuals. Clearly none of these are 100% effective.


Nearly half of Filipino ( men ) and at least a tenth of Filipinas still smoke in this day and age. The status quo is unacceptable IMHO !