Britain in a puff

6.3 MILLION people have died in England and Wales during the last fifty years as a result of smoking.

The figure, nearly the population of London, was released by Prof Richard Peto, an epidemiologist at Oxford University, ahead of the No Smoking Day on Wednesday.

“These shocking statistics illustrate the devastating impact of smoking on the lives of people across the country,” said Maura Gillespie of the British Heart Foundation

The findings came days after the UK was found to have the largest heroine seizure rate and the third highest number of heroine addicts in Europe during 2004 by a UN report. It was also revealed that UK had Europe’s highest amphetamine usage and the third highest ecstasy usage as well as an increasing cocaine usage.

Petra Maxwell, from a drug education charity DrugScope, reminded authorities that these drug problems have to be dealt with not only by cutting supply from countries such as Columbia and Afghanistan, but also by cutting demand.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw last month, after talks with the Afghan president in Kabul, announced that Britain would give around ₤52m to counter narcotics programs in Afghanistan over the next financial year.

Around 90% of the heroine in Britain and Europe is the produce of Afghanistan’s poppy field that has witnessed a 20-fold increase in production since allied forces took over.
© Faras Ghani 2005