No one disputes that cigarettes can kill. Each year smoking accounts for 7 million deaths worldwide -- that's seven times more than those attributable to the world's deadliest animal, the mosquito.
Sadly, cigarettes also kill people who do not smoke. Second-hand smoke causes 900,000 premature deaths annually. However, there should be a way for smokers and non-smokers to coexist without the latter becoming unintended murderers and ostracised from society.
Adults who smoke know their odds of a long life are shrinking. As many as two-thirds of all smokers die prematurely as a direct result of the habit, recent Australian research revealed.
Thailand has increased "sin taxes" numerous times in a bid to reduce the number of smokers and drinkers by making their habits expensive, but true addicts always find a way to get their fix.
A ban on sales of individual cigarettes in Thailand has helped to some degree. Lower-income people who were not troubled by paying 10 or 15 baht for a bundle of four cigarettes may baulk at having to pay 60 to 80 baht for a pack of 20. Still, retail cigarette prices in Thailand are only one-half to one-third of what smokers pay in many developed countries.
Meanwhile, the space where smokers can indulge is shrinking. New Public Health Ministry rules will ban smoking outside all public buildings and areas including restaurants, cafes and bars. Anyone found puffing within a five-metre radius of a No Smoking sign could be a few thousand baht poorer.
These new rules, which will be enforced next year, tick me off a bit even though I am only a social smoker. First, studies show that no-smoking signs make people want to smoke because they put the image of a cigarette in their minds. A study done by the RAND Corporation, a US think tank, found that hanging graphic warning posters might actually encourage some teenagers to light up.
"Our findings are counter intuitive and suggest that some anti-smoking strategies may actually go too far," said William Shadel, lead author of the study. "It is possible that at-risk adolescents responded to the graphic warning posters in a defensive manner, causing them to discount or downplay the health risks portrayed in the poster."
My suggestion is that we cut down on the number of no-smoking signs while directing those who want to smoke to open areas with places to sit, ashtrays and a nice view or a TV.
Of course, you could also herd them into a small, crowded room like the ones at Suvarnabhumi Airport where they can all choke on each other's fumes. It's society's way of telling smokers what it really thinks of their habit.
Japan has smoking cubicles in public areas but at least they are properly ventilated. Thailand might want to emulate that humane idea. Smokers might not mind paying even higher taxes if they knew a tiny portion of the funds was going to provide such amenities.
Interestingly, some foreign tobacco companies seem to have figured out how to avoid higher rates under Thailand's new excise tax structure. The loser has been the Thailand Tobacco Monopoly, which this year recorded its first-ever loss after decades of being a cash cow for the government.
Of course, the best solution is to prevent people from ever starting to smoke. The US Food and Drug Administration is taking a big step in this direction. It has proposed to ban menthol cigarettes and restrict sales of flavoured e-cigarettes by age as it's been found that they appeal to teens.
Thailand, meanwhile, is preparing to become the first country in Asia and just the 11th in the world (Australia was the first in 2012) to introduce plain cigarette packaging minus brand logos, colours or promotional text.
The gruesome warning pictures now on packets will also be changed as authorities believe they have lost their shock value after many years. I'll miss the warning about male potency, featuring a limp, half-smoked cigarette, but I doubt that even the scariest pictures of diseased organs will deter many hard-core smokers.
We all have to live with each other even though we do not think or act the same. Everyone has a choice, so even smokers should be free to decide what they want to do with their lives. We're not asking for much -- just a place to kill ourselves conveniently, away from the disgusted looks and turned-up noses of non-smokers.