Costa Ricans Spend ¢200 Million Daily on Cigarettes
Costa Ricans spend some ¢200 million colones (us$425.000 dollars) daily on cigarettes.

That is the word by Luis Sandí, ex director of the Instituto sobre Alcoholismo y Farmacodependencia (IAFA) at a function hosted at the San José Palacio hotel that announced the creation of a support group to help people stop smoking.

It is estimated than 700.000 Costa Ricans are addicted to cigarette smoking that smoke some 9 million cigarttes daily.

The Pfizer company who manufactures "Nicorette" joins the IAFA and the Instituto Costarricense contra el Cáncer (ICCC) and the Asociación de Ex fumadores to create a network to help smokers kick the habit.

The group hopes to get support from the Legislative Assembly to approve anti-smoking laws.

Smoking cigarettes does not only endanger the lives of the smokers but also those who breathe second hand smoke as well. Studies show that for every 8 smokers that die as result of cigarette smoking, one dies from breathing smoke second hand.

Second hand smoke also causes severe medical problems. According to a study by the Organización Panamericana de la Salud, living with or working closely to a smoker enhances one's chances by 30% to die from cardiac and respiratory complications.

In Costa Rica, estimates show that 250.000 people are affected by second hand smoke on a daily basis.