Many organizations must have thought that such a quit month would be an excellent time to release research into the harmful effects of smoking. Because in recent days they published disturbing figures.
For example, the RIVM calculated for the first time how many people in the Netherlands are chronically ill due to smoking. Last week the study hit the news: a total of 672,000 people suffer from diseases such as COPD, cancer and cardiovascular disease as a result of tobacco. For some conditions, researchers label cigarettes as the absolute culprit. For example, smoking is the cause of more than eight out of ten cases of both larynx and lung cancer.
This week, the Integrated Cancer Center of the Netherlands (IKNL) published impressive figures: if the number of smokers drops drastically, this could save at least 120,000 cancer diagnoses between now and 2045. Then the number of smoking adults in the Netherlands must have fallen to 5 percent by 2032 and no one should start the habit anymore, as stated in the so-called Dutch Cancer Agenda.
Anyone who takes these figures into account has little choice but to conclude that there is a lot of work to be done. All the more so because the number of smokers has not fallen further recently, after the percentage had been declining for years. Currently, 19 percent of Dutch people still smoke. Smoking is actually increasing among young people. Heartbreaking, says pulmonologist Wanda de Kanter. And indeed, it is a sad thought that young people who now start smoking out of bravado or because of peer pressure are the cancer patients of the future.
It is the government’s turn, for example by further increasing the excise duty on tobacco. Research shows that more expensive cigarettes prevent young people from starting to smoke. And it is precisely from them that the most profit can be made. In addition, it would be beneficial for insurers to be more generous in reimbursing quit attempts.
Entrepreneurs also have a responsibility. Since July 1 this year, supermarkets have been prohibited from selling tobacco. Other entrepreneurs, such as catering operators, should follow suit. A full cash register cannot be more important than the health of the young generation, can it?
Educators – at home, at school and in church – have the greatest task. It starts with a good example. A parent who smokes ruins his family; a smoking office holder in his community. A good example is not possible without a clear voice: smoking is a sin against the sixth commandment. An addiction that is destructive to the body cannot be justified in any way. On the contrary, smoking affects God as the Creator and Sustainer of life.
