Reykingar / Smoking

 

Britain has lunched an idea to change the packaging of sigarettes and dress them in nutrual colors, plain paper. Bright multible colors tempt the young once and make it exciting to buy.

I´m not sure this is the correct way to take. I think it would be better to remove the sigs out of view. Raise the age of who can purchase sigs. Make store owners responsible for their neglect in selling these items to a minor.

Education about the harm of smoking is also vital and should be taught in schools. Sort of "in your face" education. If they still decide to buy the pretty packaging it is their choice but not some misstake the society makes, we are responsible for our own actions.

Once upon a time the sigs were a status. Today they are a nuisance. Poluting the air and one of the biggest killer in our society.

I have to confess I´m not inocent when it comes to sigs. I think in some ways we have all tried them, smoked at one point.

Fewer young people are smoking in Iceland then before and it is due to the influence of peer pressure and education. It is considered as disgusting habit, and not some status.

We cannot ban or close down sigarette plants or remove them out of stores, as it would rage many and we would have a riot on our hands.

I do not have the answers but dressing addictive material in plain paper is not one of them. It would help for sure, specially with children, for our eyes tend to react more to multiple shiny colors then to a white paper.

I deal with obese people everyday and its biggest offender is sugar. There is sugar in everything we eat unless we cook it ourself. We tend to buy ready made food and it is loaded with some kind of sugar. Even the health food intustry is hiding an enormous amount of sugar in their food. Sugar is used to preserve food. Even the dairy products have sugar in them.

The so called fat free products are loaded with sugar of some sort, we would not eat them otherwise.

There are 30 different names for the sugar and we do not know them all. Sugar has been called the new cocain. It is addictive.

So with that said. Do we put candy in plain paper? Do we hide it? Candy has become is the biggest offender of obesity in our society.

I tend to go for the education. I teach people the harm of the sugar and I find that the once who rid themself of it, lose weight and regain their health back.

Its an endless battle. But lets not take colors out of our lifes, lets educate.