Tobacco use is deadly and contributes to poverty

Tobacco is a health problem directly resulting from the impact of globalisation. As other expects put it: “[Tobacco] provides examples of the ways in which globalisation, trade liberalisation, modern communication and marketing, direct foreign investment and the growth of multi-national corporations can impact on the poor, on life expectancies and health status, and on the ability of national governments to legislate for and implement tobacco control policies.”
This article is an attempt to help demonstrate why tobacco is a developmental issue and also a public health issue. One could as well argue that it may be considered to be within the same bracket as AIDS. Like HIV and AIDS it will certainly pose a challenge to those who deny the reality of tobacco as an epidemic. So many lives of fellow Swazis are at risk—many unwittingly. This article is a humble attempt to let us understand why - given all that we know - so little is being done about this silent yet venomously deadly epidemic.
All evidence point to the reality that tobacco smoking, like HIV, is on the increase in the country. Like HIV, it is being denied and very little seems to be done about it at all levels. Like HIV, it is not easy to confront it, let alone change. Nevertheless, we must face up to the reality of how the use of tobacco is damaging our people, especially the young—the very vestige of our future as a people and society.

Men, women, boys and girls use tobacco
Tobacco use has been portrayed by its sellers as a masculine habit, linked to health, happiness, fitness, wealth, power and sexual success. In reality, however, scientific evidence has demonstrated to us that the opposite is true. It leads to sickness, premature death, sexual importance and infertility. Tobacco industries promote cigarettes to women using seductive but false images of vitality, slimness, emancipation, sophistication and sexual allure. In reality, smoking causes reproductive damage, disease and death. Why then are we not up in arms against this menace?
The uptake of smoking among boys increases with tobacco industry promotion, easy access to tobacco products, low prices, peer pressure, their peers, parents and siblings using tobacco and approving of smoking, and the misperception that smoking enhances social popularity. While the most serious health effects of tobacco consumption normally occur after decades of smoking, tobacco also causes immediate health effects for young smokers. Perhaps more importantly, teenage smokers risk addiction while in adolescence.
Smokers who become addicted to tobacco in their youth face the greatest risk of eventually contracting diseases caused by smoking, such as cancer, emphysema and heart disease. 
The differences in smoking rates between girls and boys are not as large as one would expect. Experts suggest that tobacco use among girls is increasing; and some parts of the world girls smoke more than boys. The factors that increase the risk of girls smoking are broadly similar to those of boys. 
Tobacco poses a major challenge to sustainable development and health. Research has proven that its impact can be felt at both the societal and household levels, negatively affecting the health of populations, local and national economies, the environment, as well as societal roles and values.

Health risks of Tobacco use
“We have known for decades that smoking is band for health the toxins from cigarette smoke go everywhere the blood flows”  Richard H Carmona, US Surgeon General, 2004
Tobacco use may impact the world differently, but its effects on health are fairly universal. Tobacco does not recognise international boundaries. The range of diseases caused by tobacco is much greater than most people can realise. Experts argue that there are 20 fatal and 50 non-fatal health impacts attributable to smoking. And the argument further reveals that half of long term regular smokers are killed by tobacco and of these about half die in middle age. Could this alone not be reason enough to make us act and act urgently? I think it is!
Conclusive scientific evidence confirms that all forms of tobacco are addictive and lethal. Smokers significantly face increased risks of death from numerous cancers (particularly lung cancer), heart disease, stroke, emphysema and many other fatal and non-fatal diseases. Swazis should not be found to be in the army of skeptics here because the reality is that tobacco is killing us—our young people.  

Tobacco use control measures
The sale and advertisement of tobacco products remains relatively unregulated in the country. Most of our shop outlets continue to make tobacco cigarettes more accessible and cheap for smokers. They sell cigarette in a form of sticks which promotes smoking even for the youth, especially in-school youth.
Promotional activities aiming at controlling tobacco use are conducted in the country by the Ministry of Health. The Ministry of Health observes and commemorates the World No Tobacco Day every year. The day as marked by WHO as No Tobacco Day is May 31st every year. The ministry monitors tobacco use and prevention policies through the Health Promotion Unit. Protection of people from tobacco smoke is addressed in a form of public education. Separation of smoke free zones is in the pipeline, waiting to be effected after the bill issue is concluded. Though in public buses and some public areas smoking is already banned even before the legislation is concluded. More support is expected from shops and groceries to stop selling cigarette sticks. We have some organisations that work hand-and-hand with the ministry to help people to quit tobacco use.
The ministry with other ministries, organisations and private sector are working towards enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
The one greatest challenge we are facing as country in this front is the illicit trade on this deadly product as demonstrated by the recent spate of cigarette smugglings in truck loads! You and I have a duty to play our role and help the people of this country overcome this impeding epidemic regardless of who is purported to be involved in the smuggling syndrome—remember this words “without fear or favour”?  The ball is in our court!