Personal update: contrary to popular belief, I am still alive. I might be somewhat unrecognizable, considering I’ve lost at least ten pounds and am sporting a good week’s worth of facial scruff. But after one solid week of food-related illness, I finally feel well enough to sit upright for an extended period of time and write about something other than my strong misgivings about Iraq.
Of course, food poisoning never leaves anyone in the best of spirits. A couple of weeks ago I promised to recount what I have thus far found irritating, uncomfortable, or just downright ridiculous since arriving in Armenia. In the exaggerated spirit of Canadian diplomacy and our apparent national inclination to be polite, however, I shall limit my present complaint to one lone item (although I fully reserve the right to return to my bitchfest at a future point).
My number one pet peeve to date? Armenians love to smoke.
Smoking is the unofficial national pastime of Armenia. According to a World Bank report, over 70 percent of males over 15 smoke, joined by nearly 30 percent of women in the same age category. Thirsty for an even more shocking figure? Fifty-six percent of boys between the ages of 14-16 like to light it up as well. All together, 43 percent of Armenians over the age of 12 smoke (and are willing to admit it to survey crews).
Compare this to the smokiest of all Canadian provinces, Quebec. La Belle Province sports a smoking prevalence rate of 30 percent for those over the age of 15. Teen smokers (those aged 15-19) weigh in at 36 percent of the population.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think there existed a people who could take on the Quebecois, tete-a-tete, in a chain-smokers’ title bout (except maybe the French). But Armenians don’t only mop the floor with the Quebecois in terms of the sheer amount of the populace that smokes, they also top the podium when it comes to where you can enjoy the habit. Having been here for three weeks, I believe I can count the number of no-smoking signs I’ve seen on one tar-stained hand. Hell, I’ve seen people ash on the floor of grocery stores—is nothing sacred?
Other than falling to the bottom of the list of tourist destinations for asthmatics, there are some serious issues at stake. In particular, in a country where the public health care system itself is on life support, what long term consequences will this have for the health of the Armenian people?
While it is not obvious whether the Armenian government is paying more than lip service to this issue, it is clear that they are profiting handsomely from the burgeoning cigarette industry. According to the same World Bank report, the government collected US$39 million in cigarette taxes in 1999, accounting for 13 percent of its total tax revenues. Considering that the level of cigarette consumption has been steadily increasing since the end of Soviet rule, tax revenues from cigarettes is only going to increase.
Combine all these aspects of the issue with the fact that a pack of smokes can be had for as little as 200 dram a pack—less than fifty Canadian pennies—and that aggressive cigarette advertising squanders more public space than ads from any other industry, and Armenia has a nascent health crisis on their hands.
Sigh… If only tanks of pure, fresh air could be had for so cheap.