PAGE7 Lewis feels that this ignorance, whether intentional or not, cannot be justified in light of the indisputable fact of death. “‘Anti-smoking efforts by the government can be compared to a drop of water from a faucet and the amount of water flowing over Niagara Falls,’’ he said. Tobacco companies spent over 80 million dollars in advertising last year. The Ontario ministry of health has budgeted approximately $600,000 in 1981-82 for anti-smoking campaigns. “The government is in the process of making profits from tobacco sales,’’ he said. ‘’There is a lot of money - be made in taxes as well as in trade. Our trade ministers couldn't care less about sending to foreign countries what we at home recognize as garbage. On January 18, the Ontario government finalized a deal in which $7.4 million worth of tobacco will be exported to China in the upcoming year. Henry Pauls, an otticial ot the ministry of agriculture, commentea that the sale is part of the effort to diversity and enlarge that the sale is part of the effort to diversify and enlarge This is indicative of the attitude that the government holds toward tobacco consumption. It is lucrative crop, and considering the keen international competition for trade, it is easy to overlook the adverse health effects of ee in favor of exploiting its huge earnings poten- tial. FEBRUARY 2ND 1983 Feature | ..@ typial one pack per day smoker takes in 50,000 to 70,000 puffs per year... “I don't think family doctorsare taking responsibility for cigarette smoking." Tobacco is an important agricultural and economic crop that is produced in almost all parts of thé world and used in nearly every country. It was successfully introduced for cultivation in Jamestown, Virginia in 1611 and soon after into Europe, Asia dn South Africa. Today, total world acreage produces over 12 billion pounds of tobacco annually. People have been unaware of the unique nature of the tobacco leaf for centuries. In the seventeenth century, pipe smoking gained wide acceptance as a pleasurable, relaxing activity. In the eighteenth cen- tury snuff became very popular and in the nineteenth centre chewing tobacco was commonly used. Through- out this time period, tobacco was seen as one of the harmless pleasures in life, and was even indulged in by some for alleged health benefits. When the automatic cigarette rolling machine was . perfected in the 1880’s, the smoking fashion changed accordingly. Plug (chewing) tobacco became scarce toward the end of the Civil War because of the difficulty of storing it. Growing public concern over the health hazards of spitting out germ infested tobacco also led to the acceptance of cigarettes. During World War 1, men took up the habit of cigarette smoking at a rapid rate. By 1925, approx- imately 50 per cent of adult males in Canada and the United States were cigarette smokers. By 1950, the prevalence of cigarette use among men approached 70 per cent in some urban areas. The onset of widespread cigarette use among women lagged behind that of men by 15 to 30 years. In 1954, when reports linking cigarettes to lung cancer first appeared, less than one percent of cigar- ettes produced were filter-tipped. The average ‘‘Tar’’ delivery of cigarettes was approximately 35 gm. The average nicotine delivery was over two mg. With the drop in tar and nicotine, there was a correspondent drop in the prevalence of cigarette use, suggesting that the consumers were becoming sensi- tive to the growing concerns over health. As people became more aware of the dangers that cigarette smoking presented, thie tar and nicotine levels continued to-decrease. In 1977 cigarette production technology experienced important changes. The devel- opment of tobacco sheet reconstitution, improvements in cigarette filtration and cigarette paper, the genetic manipulation of tobacco strains and increased use of plant stems enable significant decreases in tar and nicotine to occur. Cigarete use had continued to drop. According to the Surgeon-General’s 1979 report, only 32.3 percent of he American population smoked cigarettes. in 1979. Although Canadian figures are slightly higher, this was the lowest recorded value in 45 years. In 1981, low tar and nicotine cigarettes commanded 50 per cent of the cigarette market. Last year, Brown and Williamson Tobacco Corporation utilized a budget of $150 million. to introduce a new low-tar brand, Barclay. These trends indicate a genuine concern on the part of the consumer to decrease intake of recognized hazardous chemical compounds. , But a typical one pack per day smoker takes in 50,000 to 70,000 puffs per year, each puff containing over 2,000 known compounds. Many of the compounds are established carcinogens, and there is as yet no un- equivocal evidence for the existence of safe levels of the carcinogenic chemicals. Evidence from studies done by the American Cancer Society indicates that smokers of low-tar and nicotine cigarettes have a slightly lower mortality rate from smoke-related causes than people who smoke an equal quantity of high-tar and nicotine cigarettes. However, those who smoked more low-tar and nicotine cigarettes than those who smoked high-tar nicotine cigarettes had high mortality rates “One of the biggest con games is the current adver tising campaign to get people to switch to light cigar- ettes, said Lewis. A person who used to smoke one pack of Marlboros might have to smoke three packs of Virginia Slims to get the same nicontine. But they are getting three times as much carbon monoxide. They’ re in fact getting sicker faster.’’ Dr. Wilson speculated on the reasons why people continue to smoke, when they know what they’re doing to themselves. ‘People still drink and drive, refuse to wear seatbelts and go on fad diets,’’ he said. ‘Most people know the consequences. There is some behavioral component that is hard to understand.’’ Among the man paradoxes that exist in our society smoking ranks as the deadliest.