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Victoria Mindova

10,000 Greek students have signed a petition requiring the state authorities to recognize involuntary passive smoking as a violation of human rights under the initiative of the National Steering Committee for Tobacco Control and announced it within the context of the world day against the bad habit (31 May).

The harm caused by active smoking is well known. Scientists say that the dangers to the health of non-smokers who are in the company of cigarette lovers are serious too. Cigarette smoke is the cause of a number of health problems in passive smokers who are in a smoky room. Cough, headache, eye irritation, throat irritation, sneezing and a runny nose, nausea, breathing difficulties, rapid heart rate are some of the signs that the harmful smoke around you is poisoning you. Medical studies show that passive smoking increases the risk for people suffering from asthma, hay fever, bronchitis, emphysema or heart disease.

"90% of students who took part in the poll state that smoking in the country is out of control. The same percentage say that they did not have any problem buying a pack of cigarettes while they were at high school," states Panagiotis Behrakis, chairman of the National Steering Committee for Tobacco Control.

"90% of students who took part in the poll state that smoking in the country is out of control. The same percentage say that did not have any problem buying a pack of cigarettes while they were at high school," states Panagiotis Behrakis, chairman of the National Steering Committee for Tobacco Control.

The law banning smoking in public places has been in force in Greece since 2011. However, it has not been observed. "There is no political will to impose the restriction in practice," says Behrakis.

"In Greece, there has been a long-lasting flirtation between government and tobacco producing companies. They exert pressure on political decisions, which prevents the true application of the restrictive measure," the specialist is adamant.

Recent statistics related to smoking show a positive trend of change that is not yet crucial to improve public health.

For the first time in many years, the World Health Organization notes that consumption of cigarettes in Greece has fallen below 20 billion pieces per year and it is no longer among the top ten countries with the highest number of smokers per capita. The data of the Ministry of Finance confirm these observations. From 2008 to 2012, the consumption of tobacco products fell by 34%. According to experts, this is due mainly to the increase in the price of cigarettes and to the reduced household incomes. However, 35% of Greeks still smoke more than one pack a day.

The relationship between price and consumption of tobacco products is proven by various institutions. A survey by the National Institute of Health in Athens shows that if the price of cigarettes is increased by 10%, the number of smokers will fall by 3.7%.

That same organization states that if the price of a pack of cigarettes is increased by two euro, consumption will drop by 20% and revenues to the state treasury will increase by 1.2 billion euro. In other words, 330,000 smokers will quit, about 125,000 young people will not start smoking and 192,000 deaths per year could be prevented. On the other hand, research results show that when the income of citizens increases by 10%, the consumption of tobacco products increases by 6.7%.

"A natural conclusion is that if we raise the price of cigarettes, we will reduce the harm from smoking," Behrakis told GRReporer. He insists that politicians and public figures should stop serving narrow corporate interests and give a clear message to the public that violations of law will not be tolerated.
 
The consumption of illegal cigarettes in Greece is embarrassing too. In 2006, only 2% of consumed tobacco products were purchased in the black market. In 2011, this share increased to 10% and it is expected that it will jump to 13% in 2012. Tests of seized cigarettes without an excise stamp show that their nicotine content is 40% higher and tar content two times higher.

Tests of seized cigarettes without an excise stamp show that their nicotine content is 40% higher and tar content two times higher.In addition to the serious harm caused by the cigarettes in the black market, the loss to the state amounts to hundreds of millions of euro. "If, today, the Greek authorities take serious action to suspend cigarette smuggling they will be able to provide more than 400 million euro in additional revenue. This amount is sufficient to cover the annual cost of pensions of civil servants or to provide funds for the social benefits of 840,000 disabled people," state scientific experts.

"We cannot continue to make excuses that we should not increase the price of cigarettes because illegal trade will increase or because turnover of public establishment will decrease. This is outrageous and we cannot continue to ignore the real problems," says emphatically Behrakis. He warns that henceforth he will publicly expose those politicians who defend the violation of the ban on smoking in public places.

The treatment of diseases related to smoking costs the state more than three billion euro. "Investing in public health is the best investment a government can make," states Fotini Skopoulis, who is Deputy Minister of Health and who urges other state institutions to take a more active part in the fight against smoking.