Europe: Ahead in some respects, Lacking in others

-Courtesy of Google Images

I just returned from Spring Break and a five-day tour of some beautiful countryside. I travelled throughout the Netherlands and Switzerland, visiting big cities like Zurich and Amsterdam, as well as beautiful villages like Brig and Montreaux.

There were beautiful sights, including castles, villages, the alps and much more. It was nice to get out and enjoy the fresh air during the spring months, that is until.....

I stepped outside!

Apparently I have been conditioned due to the strict smoking bans where I come from on the west coast, but seemingly everyone smokes in Europe. In restaurants, coffeehouses, open air markets, on the ski slopes and in the airports. Yes, even the Geneva Aeroport in Switzerland had a smoking section by the gates. Age doesn't seem to matter either, with kids who look not a day over 15 puffing away as they walk down the streets.

Just the threat of cancer by second-hand smoke blew me away as I saw ciggarettes used more liberally than I ever have before. Mom's were chain smoking while they ate lunch with their kids, and guys in bars were hitting on women by offering them a ciggarette instead of a drink. It was literally unbelievable.

The statistics extended my shock. As it turns out, France and Spain lead European countries in smoking population, and I didn't even visit those countries. The average person in France smokes 15 ciggarettes a day, according to ThinkQuest online library. This ties them with the United States for the most worldwide, but the amount of smokers blows us away, with an estimated 40 percent of youngsters smoking regularly, with no one putting a stop to it.

I've written about smoking before in this blog, and the amount of risks that it puts us at. I believe that these European nations are putting un due risk on there adults and youngsters. They could do well with an informative campaign about smoking, the likes of which can be seen in America. It's time to stop the epidemic, not just here at home, but worldwide.