8 r2 Z. b) {' F. s9 b( F5 }1949年毛澤東主席領導的新中國關閉了中國所有的鴉片煙販售店，其它各國也緊跟其後，下達禁令紛紛關閉；可是仍拖延15年（到1964年）才全面停止。雖煙店關閉，英國人仍能從成千上萬有毒癮的人圖利，而這些生命不斷地被摧殘，下場只是枯萎和早死；鴉片如古柯鹼及其它違禁品一樣都是危害最深的毒品，比起核子武器有過之而無不及。鴉片會破壞人的精神意志，毒癮發作時，為了貪圖吸食一口，便鋌而走險；鴉片造就許多貪官汚吏；鴉片使許多青春年華者淪為娼妓。英國在十八及十九世紀主宰了毒品的供應，是當時最大的運銷國；而從事鴉片銷售的英國人，在中國不被起訴，英國法庭也無罪開釋。2 C* k0 H2 v/ d( Z# l1 U
$ c) S! {( |% w7 J, T1836年大清帝國以鴉片為違法品而加以取締。今日，中國政府也應視煙草如鴉片為害而忌烟如仇，宣導吸煙如毒癮嚴重危害健康；吸煙必須受到約束，在會影響非吸煙者和孩童的塲所，嚴格禁止吸煙；政府官員應該擔當教育民眾的責任並做全民的楷模；教育部、食品藥物管理局、環保局也應與政府其他部門通力合作，規範煙草行業；地方性的種烟場，製烟廠應全面關閉。我們有責任敎育並拯救年輕人和子孫後代。讓我們行動起來吧!2 N, R2 z# f- H! Z, O* q6 I8 L# r
. d, r7 u8 r& z7 _$ z' Q l英文原文：) e4 D9 X+ U) H2 W- U, B2 D
What has China learned from the Opium War?
By Kim Lee
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On my recent trip to China, I saw history repeating! A high percentage of Chinese people are slowly being killed by foreign (American and European) tobacco companies. 5 ]" o! B+ N+ ~9 x7 A* y3 i. ZThe Chinese love foreign products, especially cigarettes and wine. & {/ H& ?1 ?" ]; D- LAbout 150 years ago, the English seduced the Chinese with opium; “The high class Chinese should smoke opium, it will eliminate pains and troubles.” Many high ranking Chinese government officers and wealthy Chinese people smoked opium for entertainment.6 Q3 u3 X- d5 F$ o/ T6 b
By 1836, opium houses rapidly increased and opened side-by-side with hotels and restaurants all over cities of China, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Burma, Cambodia and Vietnam. $ ?! e( Q$ N& k4 V ) U( i7 z, p# m. A4 w! uIn 1949, the New China let by Chairman Mao Zedong shut down all the opium houses in China. ! ], o. k: f" K- a' B! L1 H+ C" }Other countries followed its lead and began shutting their opium houses down. It took about 15 years (1964) to complete shutting down the opium houses.) Z0 m* _: r4 B
Even with the elimination of opium houses, the English continued to profit from the opium addicts and millions of Chinese people continued to whither and die at young ages. 7 w: H7 l9 n& }3 h! oOpium, like cocaine and other illegal drugs, is one of the worst forms of violence, more powerful and damaging than nuclear weapon. 8 e# P* ~; S8 t3 B7 Q @& jOpium corrupts the mind of people and can lead people to committing more crimes.9 h/ {1 K7 k$ ?( A3 N
Government officers easily accepted bribes and corrupted. Young girls are willing to be prostitutes for opium or drugs. 3 D# ~; g1 R7 Q" `. q7 r8 K. TThe English were the biggest drug traffickers of the eighteenth and nineteenth century and in return gained control. The English people who sold opium in China were not prosecuted in China and the English courts set them free.- Y4 n! ^0 q5 F8 ]
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Now in 2008, the American tobacco companies hand out free cigarettes to the young people at clubs and at any public place all over China.% E0 z+ G" e& K @0 w' M" n& i
They spend millions of dollars in advertising and promoting cigarettes. ! X9 @" S3 F$ c- w6 _* t+ hLots of young people think smoking will make them more attractive." }2 [, a, d: h; Z9 L( j$ v& k) k7 Q. X
The likely results are that the young men and women who smoke become old men and women who smoke. 4 h( ]! E1 y/ |2 IThe addiction is overwhelmingly powerful. In Shanghai, people smoke everywhere whether confined or not. $ ?8 _. `# \# P# _3 HPeople smoke in bathrooms, in elevators, in restaurants, in hospitals, in government offices, inside the trains and inside buses. Even the people who choose not to smoke end up breathing second hand smoke. 8 j+ U. Z4 O% b' r! a# K Y" K% `6 ~) a# W+ k9 ?. z
The sad facts are that millions of Chinese don’t want to admit they are voluntarily committing suicide in front of their family members, while the tobacco companies continue profiting billions of dollars from the smokers.+ o1 e+ j, ~# Y
The smokers have become slaves to the tobacco companies! - Z7 M' }! _, o$ E 6 j: G$ V8 N5 D8 W; m, m' c1 ?9 b
How do we solve this problem? I used to think that cigarettes were the main cause of the problem, but I was wrong. The problem is not the cigarette itself but the thinking process of the smokers. 2 |- }5 Y7 ?5 M+ @. J8 rEvery time they light up a cigarette, they think of the taste, smell, and relief of the cigarette. The addiction takes hostage of their minds. I want to direct them to think deeper and help them realize that every time they light up their cigarettes they are consuming poison, they are hurting their family, they will have to pay heavy medical bills, and they will die early. Smokers do have a choice and can regain control to make the right choice!4 e& V* B3 [+ X' U4 |# F/ b
8 I% j6 F- Q+ O+ ]3 KChina has 350 million smokers, more than the entire population of Russia, Germany, and Japan combined. 4 ]3 z$ Q A( D/ P A' HThe habit kills about a million people a year in China and costs an estimated $5 billion annually in medical bills., v! @" h7 ?( S" k' q
The life expectancy on average for Chinese people in Beijing dropped to 54 years of age from 76 years when a decade ago (Shanghai Municipal Academy of social Science). " O. D2 J/ ^' m1 _7 u3 E 6 B q! `5 W% {, @7 p: B7 R Z
China, which consumes a third of the world's tobacco with a fifth of the world’s population, must mediate between cutting health care costs and its financial stake in tobacco, which generated 240 billion Yuan, or $31 billion, in taxes in 2005, according to a study at a Beijing University research center.: S! n8 |; Q" W
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"China is lagging behind the world," said Fang Ji-qian, a biostatistics professor at Zhongshan University in Guangzhou who put forward one of the anti-smoking proposals. "We face a budget shortage for medical services, so why don't we take measures to control smoking?" Professor Fang proposed a ban on advertising, smoking in public places, and eventually tobacco production. * F$ z5 K- N0 }4 b% O( h/ d% f 2 j- v% v# p, d( O) qChina is facing the biggest challenge in solving problems in health care, water pollution, industry pollution, traffic air pollution, and shortage of drinking water. ! {+ s( k7 p D5 S7 ]$ ]Every city I have been to in China was heavily polluted. / [! Y) u+ T: } 7 m3 p( n, ~$ A! e5 g" GDue to smoking and breathing the pollution, I constantly saw people spitting to clear their throats and dropping their cigarette buts everywhere. Chinese people have enough pollution problems as is, but smoking is one problem in which the Chinese people have more direct and immediate reign on. & |! X C* m4 H3 [) t* ~* e0 `6 `! | 4 c- Z0 l: u9 \9 G0 o5 b4 K" W3 J0 |
In 1836, the Qing Emperor ruled opium as illegal. $ Y8 L; q7 Q5 @$ o7 U6 IToday, the Chinese government must regard cigarette use as detrimental as opium and as an addictive drug that is extremely harmful to people’s health.+ T5 h S& Y: K$ o* Z( u1 A: v/ h
Smoking restrictions need to be implemented, particularly in areas that affect non-smokers and children.7 j( J% ~2 Y2 E+ [* @
Top government officials need to educate and set good examples for the country to follow.0 X- I* p! S) V( w, _* q
The Department of Education, Food & Drug Administration, Environment Protection Agency, along with other government agencies must team-up together and regulate the tobacco industries.+ j) w6 }$ f! u0 S5 }% { P
Local Chinese tobacco farms and factories need to be terminated completely. We have the responsibility to help educate and save the lives of the young and the future generations. 5 K3 i/ E9 h! m* YLet’s do something!) x- P+ l5 ~: a& V9 x
==============================================作者: 何紫 时间: 2008-9-19 00:06
