Tobacco

Appreciating the press conference of the World No-Tobacco Day. I can hardly believe the function roots from the WHO.

"Over 50% of the smokers fail to quit - says a large survey."

But if the survey asks only active smokers, they should have either never tried to quit or failed to do so - otherwise they would not be active smokers.

And there comes a (private) specialist in respiratory medicine who, in front of huge commercial logos, gives us a lecture on the need of drug treatment to help quitting the tobacco. Oh, I've almost mistaken the scene as an advertisement for the election of American president.

How could the world's leading establishment of medicine allow all these to happen ? Did the organization make such a dramatic involution in the recent years ? Is it because of that remarkable secretary ? (I must admit I am thoroughly biased after the horrifying mess she made in the SARS epidemic.)

PS. KL, my previous office room-mate, always says: Give me a hypothesis, and I can show you are right (or wrong, if you prefer).