Burning Desire: The Seduction Of Smoking - BBC

[Dedworth]

Cigarettes are the most lethal consumer product on the planet. Yet the burning desire for tobacco is as strong as ever. And it’s not just smokers. It’s government exchequers too, with tobacco revenue bringing in almost twice the cost to the NHS of treating smoking-related diseases.*

In Burning Desire: The Seduction Of Smoking, award-winning journalist Peter Taylor investigates how, despite all the health warnings and decades of increasing government regulations, thousands of young people around the world are seduced by smoking every day. He examines how powerful cigarette companies manipulate smokers, and is given rare access to the world’s second-biggest tobacco company.

Every year, more than five million customers of the tobacco industry die – in the UK alone, 100,000 people die from the world’s biggest cause of preventable death.

Peter travels to Australia to look at the industry’s last-ditch battle to prevent plain packaging in which glossy images are replaced with gruesome health warnings. And now, other countries are poised to follow suit, including England and Wales, after fierce lobbying and two controversial U-turns.

For an industry under constant attack, the tobacco industry is in remarkable health. With eye-watering profits of more than £30 billion, producing six trillion cigarettes a year, the industry would appear to be winning.

Peter Taylor has spent 40 years investigating how, in the past, the industry has dissembled and lied – which makes it all the more remarkable he was given rare access to the second-largest tobacco company in the world, British American Tobacco. He talks to their executives and learns how BAT, now openly recognising that smoking kills, has set itself a new core strategy of 'harm reduction', developing a range of less harmful alternatives to conventional cigarettes.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/pro...burning-desire

Interesting programme watched it last night on BBC iPlayer. Glad I'm an ex smoker.

[mickcant]

Even more pleased I never started the filthy habit
Mick.

[Terpe]

As for me I've become an extreme anti-smoking 'ex-smoker'.

Double the prices NOW I say

[fred]

As for me I've become an extreme anti-smoking 'ex-smoker'.

Double the prices NOW I say

Boooooooo!!

We had an anti ex smoker in our bar today..
I dont think he`ll be back!!

[Terpe]

Ex-Smoker: Smoking takes 5 minutes off your life
Smoker: Well it takes me about 6 minutes to smoke one, so looks like I'm actually gaining a minute with each cigarette then.

Ex-smoker: Smoking takes 5 minutes off your life
Smoker: And here I was looking forward to spending more time with my emphysema

[Terpe]

[Terpe]

Why do so many smokers believe it's OK to continually litter the streets with their cigarette butts?
Who doesn't hate it when lighted cigarettes get thrown out of the window of the car in front and come bouncing ominiously towards you?

[Arthur Little]

Why do so many smokers believe it's OK to continually litter the streets with their cigarette butts?

Who doesn't hate it when lighted cigarettes get thrown out of the window of the car in front and come bouncing ominiously towards you?

s ... *BUT ('scuse pun!) if there were & Non-smoking areas in pubs, clubs and the like (as there really ought to be) - then there wouldn't be so many people forced to go outside and, as a result, the streets would be at least [a little] less littered with *butts.

However, that chucking lit fag ends out of car windows at best shows careless disregard for other road users ... and at worst, can be highly dangerous.

[jake]

Why do so many smokers believe it's OK to continually litter the streets with their cigarette butts?

These selfish smokers kept me in baccy during hard times Packet of Rizla and some recycled tobacco.. lovely!

[fred]

However, that chucking lit fag ends out of car windows at best shows careless disregard for other road users ... and at worst, can be highly dangerous.

I always used to aim for the curb so that the road sweeper machine would have little trouble getting at it the following morning..
Guys like Jake with his Rizzla`s would generally take care of the ones that got away!

[les_taxi]

One day I reckon no-one will smoke: xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Terpe]

One day I reckon no-one will smoke: xxgrinning--00xx3:

It's a nice thought....

Where would governments get their tax-incomes though.

Look at the all the posturing around e-cigarettes....to regulate or not to.
(probably means to tax or not to)

Does seem strange to me now just how much I enjoyed and needed to put a chemical factory in my mouth, set it alight and breathe in the smoke.....

[les_taxi]

They would tax something else, no doubt

[andy222]

Ex-Smoker: Smoking takes 5 minutes off your life
Smoker: Well it takes me about 6 minutes to smoke one, so looks like I'm actually gaining a minute with each cigarette then.

Ex-smoker: Smoking takes 5 minutes off your life
Smoker: And here I was looking forward to spending more time with my emphysema

If that was the case Terpe I would have died years ago.. People cant win. The governments moan how much it costs to keep older people in care but want to ban smoking because it will make you live longer. I dont understand it.