Fear of lung cancer doesn't stop die-hards from smoking

Fear of lung cancer doesn't stop die-hards from smoking

Dewi Santoso, Jakarta

The fear of lung cancer does not seem to be enough to prevent
some people from smoking, particularly young people, many of whom
argue that refraining from smoking does not necessarily mean they
are not going to develop the disease.

Steven, a 19-year-old college student, for example, told The
Jakarta Post last week that he would continue smoking despite
the possibility of developing lung cancer.

"My father has been smoking all his life and he looks pretty
good to me for a 55-year-old man," he said, laughing.

Steven himself began smoking when he was 13.

Asked whether his parents said anything to him about his
smoking, he answered: "They did at first, but I just ignored
them. Anyway, they couldn't do much as my dad is also a smoker."

Steven, who admitted smoking one pack of 20 per day and
spending Rp 200,000 (US$22) per month on his habit, said that his
friends did not mind his smoking either as "they all smoke."

Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals that in
2002 Indonesia came fifth in the world in the smoking stakes,
with 183 billion cigarettes going up in smoke annually. In first
place was China (1.7 trillion cigarettes), followed by the United
States (464 billion cigarettes), Russia (375 billion cigarettes),
and Japan (300 billion cigarettes).

Assuming that one cigarette costs around 6 U.S. cents,
Indonesian people spent more than $6.5 billion on tobacco alone
in 2002. And the level of cigarette consumption is increasing
every year.

Steven's friend, Yanti, however, admitted that some of her
friends who do not smoke did complain about her smoking.

"Sometimes they beg me to stop smoking, which I do whenever
I'm with them. But when I'm not with them, I smoke," she said,
adding the she began to smoke when she was 15.

Although she did not know that passive smokers risk developing
lung cancer just as much as active smokers, she did know that
smoking was injurious to her health.

"But I can't do anything as I'm addicted to it," said Yanti,
who admitted that her parents did not know she smoked.

"They'll freak when they find out that I smoke."

The comments of Steven and Yanti demonstrate just how
complacent people here are -- they keep smoking even though they
know that it will damage their health.

Data from the Ministry of Health shows that more than 400,000
people died in 2001 due to smoking-related diseases, including
lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and
stroke.

According to a study conducted by pulmonologist Anwar Jusuf,
around 200 people receive treatment for lung cancer in the
Persahabatan Hospital each year. He estimates that around 90
percent of these cases were caused by smoking.

To reduce the number of smokers, the government has banned
cigarette advertisements from being aired on TV before 9 p.m.

Yet, Anwar, who is also a professor at the University
Indonesia, said that the best policy would be to organize a
nationwide campaign against tobacco.

However, any antitobacco campaign will run up against a very
large hurdle -- money -- as cigarette taxes were a major source
of finance for the Ministry of Health's budget last year,
contributing more than Rp 23 trillion.

Nonetheless, the government has made some effort to warn the
public of the health hazards of cigarettes by publishing a
booklet on the dangers of smoking to mark "No Tobacco Day", which
falls on May 31.

The book was published by the Ministry of Health in
cooperation with WHO. It comprises facts on tobacco consumption
around the world, including Indonesia.

Data on smokers aged 15 and above in Indonesia

1995 (in million) 2001 (in million) 2003 (in million)

Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total

3.2 .102 6.0 4.3 .091 7.0 4.3 .119 7.0

Source: Central Statistics Agency