Is Smoking Really Harmful to Health? Does Smoking Really Cause Cancer?

Is Smoking Really Harmful to Health? Does Smoking Really Cause Cancer?
By Nur Ahmed

Is smoking really harmful to health? Does smoking really cause any disease in the body? Is smoking, or tobacco consumption harmful, or is none of them harmful? Why is it difficult to think differently about these questions? In the following 23 points, there are more arguments than references. If you are a free thinker, after carefully reading these 23 points, even a little, your traditional belief about smoking will surely start to crack.

Is smoking really harmful to health?

1. There is no disease in the world that only smokers get
   If smoking caused any disease, only smokers would suffer from that disease and non-smokers would never get it. But is there any disease that affects only smokers and not others? No. You tell me, if non-smokers can get cancer for some reason, can’t smokers get cancer for the same reason? Non-smokers get heart attacks for some reasons, can’t smokers get heart attacks for those same reasons?
   I have seen many people around me who never smoke but suffered heart attacks (cardiac diseases). They got heart disease mainly because of increased fat-cholesterol in their bodies. And the main reason for this cholesterol rise was their sedentary lifestyle. Yet, even if smokers get heart disease for the same reasons, smoking is blamed first. Not only heart disease, smoking is also not responsible for diabetes and high blood pressure. I have proven this in various of my writings. Blaming smoking for these three diseases is a serious mistake. What about cancer and brain stroke? Are those two caused only by smoking?

2. In Bangladesh, women, madrasa students, and children get cancer despite not smoking
   Women in Bangladesh usually do not smoke. Some tribal women and some university girls do smoke, but their percentage is so low it does not have an impact. So, it can be said that practically no women in Bangladesh are smokers. Besides women, madrasa-educated people and children stay away from smoking but do they get free from cancer? No. Then what is the meaning of blaming smoking for cancer? These three groups get cancer without smoking. Would smokers get free from cancer if they didn’t smoke? Can anyone guarantee that?

3. Not only smokers, but women and madrasa-educated people also frequently get brain stroke
   Do only smokers get brain stroke? Women and madrasa-educated people also often get brain stroke. If a survey is done on brain stroke patients in hospitals, it will be seen that smokers are not the only ones affected; non-smokers in these two groups get brain stroke at almost the same rate. Other non-smokers also get brain stroke. Can anyone prove that smokers get brain stroke because of smoking, while non-smokers get it due to other causes?

4. Millions of smokers die without ever getting cancer or brain stroke
   Many people we know have smoked most of their lives but died without ever suffering from cancer or brain stroke. This would be impossible if smoking really caused these diseases! Because after 30–40 years of continuous smoking, millions can die without these diseases, how can smoking be blamed for these diseases? Yet, smoking is blamed as if no smoker can survive these two diseases!

5. How many cigarettes does a person have to smoke to get cancer or brain stroke?
   There are millions worldwide who have smoked about 20 cigarettes daily for over 30 years but have not yet gotten cancer or brain stroke. How many cigarettes does a person have to smoke to get these diseases?
   Example calculation: 20 cigarettes × 365 days = 7,300 cigarettes/year × 30 years = 219,000 cigarettes in 30 years.

Not only 30 years, many smoke 20 cigarettes daily for 40–50 years without getting cancer or brain stroke. This should be surprising if smoking actually caused these diseases.

6. Interview with a man who has smoked for 65 years
   In our area, there is a man named Sultan who has been smoking regularly. In 2019, I asked him how long he has been smoking; he replied, "As long as I have been driving a rickshaw." When I asked how long he has been driving a rickshaw, he said "65 years." I asked if he has high blood pressure or diabetes. He said no. No heart disease either. He has not had cancer or brain stroke. He attributes his good health to his daily physical activity. Even after 65 years of smoking, he is alive as of September 9, 2022, and free of those diseases.

7. Countries where smoking is completely banned
   Few countries like Bhutan and Turkmenistan have banned smoking. New Zealand is planning to ban smoking. Do people in these countries now not get cancer or brain stroke? No. They still get these diseases as before because these diseases are unrelated to smoking.

8. What would happen if tobacco use was completely stopped worldwide?
   Nothing would change significantly. Cancer and brain stroke rates would remain roughly the same. Rates of high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease might even increase because people are becoming more sedentary.

9. Which came first, cancer or smoking?
   Cancer has existed since the beginning of human existence. Smoking only became widespread about 400–500 years ago. If cancer existed long before smoking became common, how can smoking be blamed for cancer?

10. Is smoking worse than drinking alcohol?
    Some people fear smoking more than drinking, but that ignores reality. Have you ever heard of a smoker killing someone over money for cigarettes? No. But many cases of murder happen in Bangladesh over not having money for drugs. If you search online, you’ll find many such tragic stories linked to drug abuse. Such violent acts due to smoking addiction are very rare.

11. Does smoking lead people to drink alcohol?
    Those who believe smoking leads people to drink or that smokers drink more admit that if drugs were removed from the world, it would be necessary to remove drugs first before worrying about smoking leading to drinking.

12. Is smoking or tobacco consumption harmful?
    Cigarette packs say, "Smoking is harmful to health." Smoking means inhaling smoke. But the harm is explained mainly by nicotine, a toxic substance in tobacco. So, it would be more accurate to say "Tobacco is harmful," not smoking.
    If nicotine in tobacco was truly harmful, then how come many elderly relatives in Bangladesh chew tobacco products like paan with jorda or sadapata for 40–50 years without getting cancer or brain stroke?

13. If smoking was truly harmful, why isn't its production and sale completely banned?
    Almost every country and person speaks against smoking, but no country bans production, import, purchase, and sale entirely. No research shows that tobacco does not cause harm, but none calls for total prohibition.

14. Most anti-smoking recommendations only suggest raising taxes, not banning
    Many anti-smoking reports only recommend raising taxes on cigarettes, not banning smoking altogether. Raising taxes on luxury goods is common, so this approach is not surprising.

15. What happens when smoking is blamed unilaterally for diseases?
    Blaming smoking solely causes neglect of real disease causes. For example, most diabetic, hypertensive, and heart patients do not smoke. But when a patient is diagnosed and found to be a smoker, doctors say smoking caused the disease. This misleads non-smokers to think they won’t get these diseases, and smokers to think quitting smoking will save them from disease — both misconceptions.

16. Does smoking cause lung cancer?
    Many say smoking is the main cause of lung cancer, but non-smokers also frequently get lung cancer. According to Guangzhou Cancer Hospital, the real causes of lung cancer are still unknown. Factors may include air pollution, stress, nutritional deficiency, viral infections, mycotoxins, tuberculosis, immune dysfunction, endocrine disorders, and genetics.

17. A study shows smoking does not cause cancer
    A British Medical Journal study reported on Jan 26, 2018, said smoking increases heart disease and stroke risk but cancer risk is not the greatest. In their study of 100 smokers, 7 got heart attacks or stroke; none got cancer.

18. No one can definitively say what causes cancer
    According to the American Cancer Society, doctors do not know for sure what causes cancer. When they can't explain, people create their own ideas.

19. Cancer and smoking research may be misleading
    Many studies observe that many cancer patients smoked, so smoking is blamed, but this approach ignores that some non-smokers also get cancer.

20. Why I doubt smoking causes various diseases
    The author’s writings conclude smoking is not linked with diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, or brain stroke. All are myths.

21. Alcohol is more harmful than smoking
    Thousands suffer brain damage due to alcohol, yet many countries take little action. Meanwhile, smoking is heavily regulated worldwide.

22. I do not encourage anyone to smoke
    Though no disease link is found, smoking causes bad breath and expense, so the author does not smoke nor encourages others.

23. Global belief may be wrong
    Millions can simultaneously believe a wrong idea. The author previously wrote about coronavirus myths, showing how viruses and bacteria don’t harm the body.