PASS THE JOINT DEPT.
Puerto Rico Bans Smoking!
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - People caught smoking in bars and restaurants in Puerto Rico faced fines Friday as a ban on lighting up in enclosed public spaces took effect.

The law was approved last year over the objections of some in the tourism industry. It also prohibits smoking in private cars with children under 13 inside.

Violators face a penalty of $250 for a first offense and up to $2,000 for repeat violations, but opponents say the ban threatens tourism on an island where many people like to smoke while betting in the nearly two dozen casinos, which are considered key to Puerto Rico's $3 billion tourism industry.

On Friday, Marianne Torres, a 51-year-old Puerto Rican who said she has smoked since she was 9, placed a bet in a San Juan casino with an unlighted cigarette in her mouth.

"That governor is violating the constitutional rights of the people," she said, referring to Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila who signed the measure after it passed in the legislature.

Bar owner Maria Carrasquillo, however, said she was glad to see the end of smoke-filled workspaces. "The law is good because it protects people who don't smoke," she said from her business in a suburb of the U.S. Caribbean territory.

It is estimated that one in three adults smoke, with over 1 billion people smoking worldwide. The majority of these smokers reside in countries on the low end to the middle of the socioeconomic spectrum. Of this majority, about 80% live in low and middle-income countries. The total number of smokers worldwide is expected to keep on increasing each year.

The worldwide popularity of tobacco use varies by social class, historical era, and culture. Historically, smoking had been a pastime of the rich. However, this trend has changed dramatically in recent decades. It appears that financially advantaged men in wealthier countries have been smoking less in recent times.

The World Health Organization has been studying smoking trends and statistical patterns across the globe and has uncovered the following statistics:

1) Eastern Europe has a particularly high rate of smoking, with up to 59% of adult males smoking. Also, significantly more women smoke in Eastern Europe than in East Asia and the Pacific Region.

2) Most people who smoke begin smoking before they are 25 years old. Worldwide observations suggest that people are starting to smoke at a much younger age. World Health Organization studies reveal that the majority of smokers in affluent countries begin in their teens.

3) In the US, it is estimated that 25.6 million men (25.2%) and 22.6 million women (20.7%) are smokers. These smokers face a higher risk of heart attack and stroke.

4) Studies reveal that smoking popularity is significantly higher among people with 9-11 years of education (35.4%) compared with those with more than 16 years of education (11.6%).

5) There appears to be a correlation between a country's standard of living, level of education, and income and the number of people who have quit smoking. The more and better informed people are, the more likely they are to quit smoking.

6) People living below the poverty level (33.3%) are much more likely to start smoking.

7) Among whites, 25.1% of men and 21.7% of women smoke.

8) Among black or African Americans, 27.6% of men and 18% of women smoke.

9) Among Asians, 21.3% of men and 6.9% of women smoke.

10) Among Hispanics/Latinos, 23.2% of men and 12.5% of women smoke.

11) Among American Indians/Alaska Natives, 32% of men and 36.9% of women smoke.

12) A shocking . . . 1 out of every 5 deaths is caused by tobacco.

13) It is estimated that tobacco is responsible for 400,000 deaths in the US every single year.

14) Cigarettes are responsible for about 25% of deaths from residential fires, causing nearly 1,000 fire-related deaths and 3,300 injuries each year.

15) Tobacco is blamed for many serious cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases.

16) Nicotine and tobacco are some of the most potent carcinogens and are responsible for the majority of all cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, esophagus and bronchus.

17) Smoking tobacco is known to produce cancer in the pancreas, kidney, bladder, and the cervix.

18) Because tobacco reduces blood flow, nicotine addiction has been proven to cause impotency.

19) If you smoke, the risk of respiratory illnesses is high. This could lead to pulmonary diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia, which are responsible for some 85,000 every year.

20) Children and adolescents who are active smokers will have increasingly severe respiratory illness, as they grow older.

21) Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage and fetal growth retardation. It also causes about 5-6% of prenatal deaths, 17-26% of low-birth-weight births, and 7-10% of pre-term deliveries.

Quitting Smoking...
The US Surgeon General has stated, “Smoking cessation (stopping smoking) represents the single most important step that smokers can take to enhance the length and quality of their lives.” Quitting smoking is not easy, but it can be done. To have the best chance of quitting successfully, you need to know what you’re up against, what your options are, and where to go for help. This document is intended to provide you with this information. Read more…

If you have tried to quit smoking, you know how hard it can be. It is hard because nicotine is a very addictive drug. For some people, it can be as addictive as heroin or cocaine. Quitting is hard. Usually people make 2 or 3 tries, or more, before finally being able to quit. Each time you try to quit, you can learn about what helps and what hurts. Cigarettes . . . one of the most addictive and destructive, over the counter drugs known to modern man.

One of the few legal substances available in stores that can injure or kill when used as intended. Most rational people know this as a fact, yet many continue to smoke. Some smokers know, deep in their hearts, they want to quit. Others are quite content to keep on puffing because they think they enjoy it so much.

Gee... I'm sorry to purvey bummers but the cancer on my father's throat is crying from the grave.

“Live in such a way that no one blames the rest of
us nor finds fault with our work.” —2 Corinthians 6:3

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