Bandar Seri Begawan - There are currently around 40,000 smokers in the country, mostly youths between the ages of 20 and 34. This is an alarming figure as it represents 17.5 per cent of the population.

This was revealed by Dr Hj Rozaime bin Hj Tengah, the Senior Medical Officer from a smoking cessation clinic (Klinik Berhenti Merokok), who spoke on the dangers of smoking at Sekolah Menengah Arab Laki-Laki Hassanal Bolkiah yesterday.

It is hard for smokers to kick the habit because cigarettes contain nicotine, which is an addictive drug. To help smokers to quit, Brunei has set up four smoking cessation clinics and will soon implement the Tobacco Order 2005, said Dr Hj Rozaime.

As of February 2008, 531 people have registered at the clinics. Thirty-three of them are women. The youngest person who sought treatment was 15 years old, while the oldest was 78 years old.

Dr Hj Rozaime disclosed that the success rate of helping people quit has improved slightly over the years. In 2005, 59 out of 174 smokers (33.9 per cent) were able to kick the habit, while in 2006, the success rate was 48.8 per cent (99 out of 203 smokers).

On the dangers of smoking, Dr Hj Rozaime said that cigarettes contain 4,000 chemicals. Four hundred of them are poisonous, while 40 others can cause cancer, he added.

Citing a World Health Organisation article, Dr Hj Rozaime highlighted the dangers of smoking Sisha, which can be found at some cafes in the country.

"Using Sisha for 45 minutes is equivalent to smoking up to 50 cigarettes," he said.

Speaking on the adverse effects of smoking, he said: "The main causes of death in Brunei are heart disease (21.1 per cent), cancer (15.4 per cent), diabetes (8.1 per cent) and stroke (7.6 per cent), which is all closely linked with smoking." -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin