Smoking is an issue that has the whole of the world in its spell. If the health of the human species and the human environment are to be retained then this spell needs to be broken. Efforts have already gone on the floors to the effect. Unfortunately, it has been deciphered that the efforts are probably falling short. The realization that smoking needs to be combated came a tad too late. By the time this was realized, smoking was all pervasive, omnipresent and omnipotent. However, man is not the creation that gives up too soon. Therefore, now all over the world measures are being taken in order to fight this very powerful addiction. The measures are very robust and fruitful in the developed countries where smoking is very rampant like the US and the UK. As far as the developing and the under developed countries are concerned, barring a few, anti smoking measures are only in the papers and are rarely practiced. Probably these countries are too busy resolving some other issues that they deem to be more important than implementing anti smoking measures and looking into the fact whether they are practiced or not.

Tobacco that is the primary component in smoking is one of the most potent causes of the deadly disease called cancer. The rate of cancer would have been considerably cut down but for tobacco. Tobacco has about nineteen known cancer causing ingredients and there are chances that it might be having more. In the US where the smoking rate is at the peak, it is indeed heartening to know that about 38 million people have quit smoking. However, the people who are still addicts to smoking account to 50 million that is much higher. The good news is that most of these people are keen on giving up the smoke. The bad thing is that many of the smoking addicts have switched over to smokeless tobacco or chewing tobacco with the hope that chewing tobacco is less dangerous than smoking. This is one of the most lethal myths as the harms caused by smoking and chewing tobacco is almost the same. Both are killing. In the underdeveloped nations where people can't afford to buy a fag, chewing tobacco is very much prevalent and popular.

The quit smoking pills that have been invented to help the people give up on this addiction are no doubt serving well. But they are inaccessible to most of the smoking population. The affluent section of the society is the target consumer base of these drugs and is the way to . Thus it is clear that quit smoking drugs are basically meant for the rich smokers only. What is good is that some of the state governments either provide or discounts or chantix for free, so the poorer sections also have a chance to get rid of this atrocious habit.