It is in the government's interest to encourage smoking. Discuss.

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Laura Howe 12STK                                                                            Feb ‘05

It is in the government’s interest to encourage smoking. Discuss.

Since early in the twentieth century the evidence for the detrimental health effects of smoking has increased steadily. With the awareness of the health consequences of smoking, the proportion of smokers dropped and the evidence for the health benefits of smoking cessation began to accumulate.

It is widely know that smoking increases the risk of at least 50 different medical problems, from cancer and heart disease to digestive problems and dementia. Some of these conditions may be fatal, while others could do immense chronic damage to a person's health. It is estimated that about 30,000 people in the UK die from lung cancer each year and more than 8 in 10 cases are directly related to smoking. (3) Other cancers, e.g. of the mouth, nose, throat, larynx, gullet (oesophagus), pancreas, bladder, blood (leukaemia), and kidney are all more common in smokers. Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability, and it is also associated with cigarette smoking. When comparing former smokers with current smokers the overall risk of stroke was 1.17 and it tends to decline with increased duration of abstinence. The risk of aortic aneurysm and peripheral artery disease also decreases with duration of abstinence. (4).

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is also thought to cause About 25,000 death in the UK each. More than 8 in 10 of these deaths are directly linked to smoking. The chemicals in tobacco can damage the lining of the blood vessels. This increases the risk of atheroma forming (sometimes called 'hardening' of the arteries). Atheroma is the main cause of heart disease. It is also the main cause of strokes, peripheral vascular disease (poor circulation of the legs), and aneurysms (swollen arteries which can burst causing internal bleeding). All of these atheroma related diseases are more common in smokers. (3)

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Emphysema is the one of the most common disease related to smoking with 1 in 4 developing the disease. Emphysema obstructs the airways affecting the bronchioles and alveoli. Cilia are immobilized for several hours and stimulate mucus, which begins to block the airways. The alveolar walls are destroyed because the disease causes them to enlarge permanently. It also reduces the amount of elastase inhibitors in the lungs. The lungs have a substance called elastin to make the walls stretch and not snap; this has an enzyme called elastase to stop the production of this to ensure too much is not ...

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