美国《读者文摘》的一位观察家在遍访四大洲20多个国家后发现,有数百万儿童受美国香烟的诱惑而吸烟上瘾。 8年来,美国国内的香烟销量持续下降,预测到2000年,嗜烟者将只占人口的1/7,但其出口量却增长了3倍多。第三世界的烟民队伍正以每年2％以上的速度上升,其中尤其令人担心的是年轻人吸烟比例在增加。在菲律宾,年满18岁的青年中有22.7％吸烟,一 An observer of the US Reader’s Digest found that after visiting more than 20 countries on four continents, millions of children were addicted to smoking by the temptation of American cigarettes. In the past eight years, cigarette sales in the United States have continued to decline. It is predicted that by 2000, the number of smokers will only account for one-seventh of the population, but their exports have increased more than threefold. The number of smokers in the third world is rising at a rate of more than 2% per year. Of particular concern is the increase in smoking among young people. In the Philippines, 22.7% of young people aged 18 or older smoke cigarettes.