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Chinese Kids Lighting 'Em if They Have 'Em - Teen Smoking Rising in China

by Mikasi | June 2, 2008 at 04:23 am

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Nothing says welcome to economicprosperity like the acquisition of bad and self-destructiveenjoyments. For Americans flush with cash during the Reagan years itwas cocaine. And for the Chinese just before the Olympics itsapparently the Marlboro Man.

BEIJING, June 2 (UPI) -- A study on rising tobacco addiction amongChinese teenagers says 68 percent of the 130 million teens have hadtheir first whole cigarette before the age of 13.

The 2008China Tobacco Control study, reported by the China Daily, said about40 million of the country's 130 million children between the ages of13 and 18 have tried smoking, and 15 million are now addicted.

So it wouldseem that Chinese youth have discoverd the old "writing anote for a friend purportedly from his mother giving permission tobuy smokes" trick. Unfortunately for thedestined-to-be-on-oxygen-cannisters-eventually set this one too-oftenworks.

Thestudy found more than 90 percent of the young smokers were able tobuy cigarettes despite a ban on selling tobacco to children under18.

If the government in Beijing decides it wants tocombat smoking it will at least have a wealth of information on howto do so if it just mines the Internet about the Western battle withtobacco.

My personal faves as commercials go come from thefolks at thetruth.com, not because their particular effectiveness,but because they are particular absurdity.

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