Globalization is the development of an increasingly integrated global economy marked especially by free trade, free flow of capital, and the tapping of cheaper foreign labor markets (www.merriam-webster.com, 2012). Globalisation has had both, positive and negative effects on health. This essay will examine how globalisation has helped alcohol and tobacco trade around the world and in doing so affected health, how globalization has enabled the global community to combat these issues and an estimation of alcohol and tobacco consumption in different countries. This essay will also contain statistics from the World Health Organization based on alcohol and tobacco to illustrate the impact of globalisation.
Alcohol:
The question as to when alcohol was invented is still unknown, but the discovery of late Stone Age beer jugs is proof that alcohol/fermented beverages was used in times of the Neolithic period. (Patrick, 1952). Researchers use the years between 6000-4000 BCE as a starting point when examining the history of alcohol because the evidence is very clear. During this time, viticulture, the process of making wines was invented and the evidence lies in Egyptian pictographs. A vital moment in the history of wine was during 3000-2000 BCE when wine production and trade became a vital part of Mediterranean market and culture, ships carried enormous amounts of wine between the cities. Over the years the production of wine increased and it was during 500 ACE when wine production reaches Tang China along the Silk road (www.lmu.edu, 2012). The above explains the history of wine trade. Today wine can be found all over the world, it is a global product and the production of wine will only continue to grow. By looking at Figure 2 –world wi...
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... on the consumption of tobacco and smoking.
There was great success by implanting this treaty for example: Ireland in 2004 banned smoking in public places, in 2006, Iran banned all types of tobacco advertising, in 2009, Turkey implemented a similar smoking ban and there are many other success stories related to the implementation of this treaty (www.who.int, 2011)
Conclusion:
As boundaries vanish because of globalisation, people and goods are allowed to move around the world easier which in doing so creates new challenges to global health. These cannot be combated by national governments alone but must be dealt with instead by international organizations and agreements. Globalisation has had a negative impact on health in terms of alcohol and cigarette trade but with the help of the global community, these problems can be successfully combated.
Pang, T. (2004, October ). Globalization and Risks to health . Retrieved 4 22, 2014, from National Library of Medicine: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1299207/
Alcohol comes in many forms, but primarily it is beer, wine and distilled spirits. Maisto, Galizio & Conners (2011) point out that, “the first non-distilled (sic) alcoholic beverages were made inadvertently by natural fermentation” (p. 192). These drinks were primarily wine and beer, with beer being the oldest fermented beverage (Maisto et al., 2011). Boozah, as the Egyptians called beer, was fermented using dehydrated dough that was soaked in water until the fermentation process was complete (Maisto et al., 2011). Wine is similarly produced; however, the fermentation is developed using a variety of fruit, chiefly grapes, and yeast (Maisto et al., 2011). Distillation came much later and fortified the beverage with a much higher concentration of alcohol. This method uses a fermentation process of sugar dissolved in water and exposed to air, which is then heated to a vapor and condensed through cooling (Maisto et al., 2011). The psychoactive ingredient in all alcoholic beverages is ethanol.
Alcohol has been all around the world for centuries and has become a custom of people all over. No one knows for sure who discovered alcohol, but we know how different types of alcohol are made. Just as well, no know knows when alcohol was discovered. There are no records of the discovery or discoverers of alcohol. Although historians do know alcohol ?was used by primitive people and recorded as early as 10,000 years ago in the Neolithic period and by European civilization?(Milgram 22). As early as 5000 B.C., the ancient Babylonians brewed, the process of making beer, their beer in religious temples because it was considered a gift from God. Beer is an alcoholic beverage made by fermentation of cereal grains such as, wheat, rye, corn, or barley; beer contains 3 to 6 percent alcohol. Besides the ancient Babylonians, the ancient Egyptians drank beer. The Egyptians called their beer hek, which was made from barley bread. The bread was crumbled into jars, covered with water, and allowed to ferment. The Egyptian pharaohs blessed this beer in the honor of the goddess of nature, Isis. Egyptians handed out free jugs of beer to peasant workers, and by no surprise drunkenness was a common problem in ancient Egypt (Nielsen 13).
World Health Organization (2008). WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2008: The MPOWER Package. Geneva: World Health Organization.
There is clearly no way tobacco will never be outlawed but I believe there should be tighter restrictions on age limits throughout the world, and restrictions on the materials that are used in cigarette processing. Who is just letting cigarette companies continue to poison people and cause cancer risk? Throughout my essay I will analyze the affects of cigarette use on the society of the world and the elaborate corruption that keeps cigarette companies in business.
Ethan Nadelman first states that the “Global War on Drugs can be Won.” Needless to say, the “Drug-Free World” and “Alcohol-Free World” are viewed as completely different realistic goals in which one could achieve. Drug-Free World would be a lot harder task for one to accomplish due to the number of addicts who are incapable of stopping, even if it continues to kill their bodies. Drug use has been a bigger problem than alcohol use, mainly because it is harming the human bodies of all races with dangerous diseases. Alcohol, on the other hand, may cause a bit of damage to the body (in severe cases, alcohol poisoning), but not merely as the damage brought upon by the drug usage. Therefore, a Drug-Free World may be a harder goal to achieve than an Alcohol-Free World. Also, politician are on the verge of eliminating drugs from the Earth, despite the fact that majority of the people are spending their money on drugs rather than quitting. When the manufacturing of illegal drugs terminate, the percentage of people sent to jail may decrease substantially. In add...
This article is aimed towards a large study to estimate the global burden of disease attributable to alcohol. The article tries to identify the relationships between average volume consumption, patterns of drinking, disease, and injury outcomes. The article also gives many numbers to back up its points.
An estimated $44 billion is spent annually on tobacco in the United States. It has become such a big issue that the low income New Yorkers are spending nearly a quarter of their annual salary to feed their tobacco addiction. In addition, the aforementioned $44 billion do not include the health costs that tobacco inflicts upon its users. When compared to the $30 billion spent annually to solve world hunger, the American tobacco addiction exceeds the annual required cost by a whooping $14 billion. According to the study conducted by the WFP (World Food Programme), $3.2 billion would be needed per year to reach all the needs of 66 million hungry school-age children. All in all, people spend more on the tobacco industry when the funds could be used to solve a major world
Smoking Smoking is an addicting habit on the rise worldwide. Smoking across the globe has many different forms from cigarettes and cigars to pipes and shisha’s. There are many different reasons for smoking whether it is for medicinal reasons or recreational use. Smoking has been around for a very long time and in this essay I will discuss the origins of smoking, the serious health risks, economical burdens, the addicting materials as well smoking among teenagers. Despite efforts from governments and organizations to bring awareness to people across the globe of the serious dangers and implications of smoking, the number of smokers worldwide generally remains on the rise. Brief History Of Smoking Smoking in one form dates back to as early as 5000 BC. It was used in shamanistic rituals to allow the users to achieve a state of trance and connect with the spirit world. Cannabis smoking quickly spread through Africa and the Middle East almost 3000 years ago. Smoking was sighted in England as far back as 1556 and then spread to France in 1560. Tobacco was then brought into Africa by French traders in the early 1600’s. Tobacco at that time was chewed or smoked. Around that time many religious leaders banned smoking and considered it immoral and even blasphemous. The first machine made to produce cigarettes was made by James Bonsack in 1881 after the civil war. The negative effects of smoking were brought to public attention in 1929 by the paper published linking cancer and smoking. During the Great Depression and in Nazi Germany, Hitler viewed smoking as unnecessary and a waste of money and also that woman who smoked as unsuitable to be mothers and wives. After the Second World War, anti-smoking groups lost popularity and smoking increas...
Would you want to live in a country that dictated what you put in your body, and what you do in your own home? Since the 1980’s federal, state, and local governments, have passed numerous laws, which have had a direct impact on the sale of tobacco products. Increased tax rates, and advertisements restrictions, successfully manipulated the amount of product consumers buy. Unfortunately, through the help of public health polices, smoking has already been banned in most public places, airlines, and business, and now, arguments have been made to ban smoking completely from the United States (cdc).
Smoking tobacco has long been an accepted form of recreational drug use despite a history of flip-flops of public opinion. The negative effects of smoking were not thought of or even known until the early 1900’s. (“Introduction to Smoking”) Over the last few decades there has been an ever increasing surge in the United States and all over the world to ban smoking in public places. The goals of these smoking bans are to prevent the numerous diseases and health complications that are produced from exposure to the toxic smoke and to improve the overall health of society. Some disagree with these motives by claiming that smoking bans have not actually saved any lives or prevented people from taking up the habit. Contrarily, global research now actually shows that smoking tobacco kills people both directly and indirectly; indirectly, of course, referring to second-hand smoke. Another argument against these smoking bans is that a number of people feel as though they infringe upon their individual rights. These people believe they have a right to smoke tobacco anywhere they choose; not unlike many people who also believe they have a right to avoid forced exposure to deadly second-hand smoke. One might wonder which of the two takes precedence. Another very important thing to consider is while these smoking bans may appear to have a good intent they present to society a difficult scenario if imposed and maintained; they threaten to set a precedent for the restriction of other freedoms that humanity may take for granted. Smoking bans may be justifiable but, like many other prominent moral dilemmas, it may take centuries if not millennia to satisfactorily answer the questions brought forth by the issue.
Missoni, E. (2013). Understanding the impact of global trade liberalization on health systems pursuing universal health coverage. Value in Health, 16, S14-S18
Influence: British American Tobacco and China's Accession to the World. Trade Organization. International Journal of Health Services 2010;40(3):421-. 41. What is the difference between Lee K. Civil Society Organizations and the Functions of Global Health Governance.
In the world smoking cigarettes has become a trend for every age group. People of all races and religions smoke, some even do it because the religion encourages it, others do it purely for social fun. Selling and manufacturing cigarettes not only has negative impact on human consumer health, but in severe cases it can even lead to ailments and death. People need to ignore the positive outcome that cigarette business brings to the society and realize that the, $23 million dollars used every day for the purpose of making these companies bigger and better are dollars wasted. They blindly believe that prohibition of selling and manufacturing cigarettes won 't lead people to adopt a healthier living environment. Instead they believe people
Alcohol is a class of organic compounds that is characterized by the presence of one or more hydroxyl groups (-OH) attached to a carbon atom. Alcohol was unknowingly produced centuries ago when fermentation occurred to crushed grapes (Pines, 1931). In today’s society alcohol is produced for the use of household products such as varnishes, cleaning products, but is more commercially important in the liquor business. A chemical process called fermentation accomplishes the production of ethanol, the alcohol or liquor. From there, the ethanol goes through distinct processes to become the dark and clear liquors on the store shelves.