街边上卖的一根香烟可能要不了多少钱，但是吸烟的总成本是非常巨大。

First, consider the cost of human life. The World Health Organization says about 10 people die of a tobacco-linked disease every minute. That rate adds up to almost six million people dying from such diseases every year.

首先，考虑到身体健康问题。世卫组织称每分钟就有一个人死于与烟草有关的疾病。每年这种疾病死亡率人口会达到将近600万人。

The majority of these preventable deaths happen in low-income and middle-income countries. The World Bank says each of these countries has a gross national income of less than $12,746.

这种可预防死亡性疾病大多发生在低收入和中等收入国家。世界银行表示每个这样的国家的国民总收入低于12746美元。

Stopping smoking

For most people, stopping smoking is hard. Many began smoking as teenagers. They are used to it. Also, tobacco contains the powerful drug nicotine.

对于大多数人来说戒烟是非常困难的。许多人从青少年的时候就开始吸烟。他们已经习惯了吸烟。同时烟草中的尼古丁含量也特别多。

Studies show people who want to stop smoking can do so with different treatments. Some get help from electronic cigarettes, medicine or nicotine patches that reduce one's desire for the drug.

研究表明想要戒烟的人可以尝试着接受一些不同的治疗。有些人尝试吸电子烟，接受药物或者尼古丁贴片来减少想吸烟的欲望。

Dr. Nancy Rigotti works at Massachusetts General Hospital in the United States. She says she finds that medicine and counseling services together work best of all.

Nancy Rigotti博士在美国马萨诸塞州综合医院工作。她说她通过实验发现药物和咨询服务相结合能够发挥最大效果。

Other experts and former smokers offer even more effective advice: if you are considering starting smoking, don't.

一些其他专家和戒烟成功的人给的建议更加干脆：你就不要考虑吸烟。

Illegal tobacco trade

But smoking costs more than the life of an individual. It can affect the health of an entire country.

但是吸烟存在比伤害吸烟者身体健康更加严重的问题。吸烟可以影响到整个国家的运行。

The World Health Organization says low-income countries depend heavily on taxes from cigarettes. They use the money, in part, to pay the costs of health care for tobacco-related diseases.

世卫组织称低收入国家对烟草税依赖性特别严重。他们运用这笔资金作为支付治疗与烟草相关疾病的医疗费用的一部分。

But the illegal trade in tobacco products is further testing the economies of low-income countries. WHO officials say the illegal trade earns about $31 billion every year.

但是烟草制品的非法贸易正进一步检验着低收入国家的经济状况。世卫组织称每年的非法贸易收入高达310亿美元。

Douglas Bettcher is the director of the WHO's Department for the Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases. He calls the illegal trade a monster with many heads.

Douglas Bettcher是预防非传染性疾病部主任。他称非法烟草贸易是一种多头怪。

He says the trade enables young people to buy cigarettes at low prices, become addicted to tobacco and suffer serious health problems. It also increases crime and reduces tax revenue.

他说非法贸易让一些年轻人能够以较低的价格买到香烟，从而催生沉溺烟草和遭受严重健康疾病困恼的问题。同时还增加了犯罪减少了税收收入。

"It feeds the proliferation of transnational organized crime, another head of this multi-headed monster, and it drains resources, taxes, revenue from the purses of ministries of finance, governmental coffers."

非法烟草贸易会滋生跨国组织犯罪，这就是多头怪的其中一个头部。而且这一问题会减少和消耗财政部，政府财政税收收入和其他收入来源。

The World Health Organization is urging United Nations member states to sign a treaty to end the illegal trade in tobacco products. Eight countries have approved the treaty. But the approval of 32 other countries is needed for it to become international law.

世卫组织敦促联合国成员签订条约来结束烟草制品的非法贸易行为。其中八个国家已经批准了这一条约。但是还需要其他32个国家的批准才能成为一项国际法律。

If the treaty succeeds, governments could put people who trade illegal tobacco products in jail – another cost to countries' budgets.

如果该条约能够成功签订，政府就有权利将进行烟草非法贸易的犯罪分子纵筋监狱，这也属于国家预算支出。

I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.

VOA's Carol Pearson and reporter Lisa Schlein wrote parts of this story. Kelly Jean Kelly adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

patches – n. pieces of material that contain a drug (the material is worn on your skin, enabling the drug to slowly enter your body over a long period of time)

non-communicable – adj. not able to be passed to another person

monster – n. a powerful thing that cannot be controlled and that causes many problems

proliferation – n. rapid increase in number or amount; spread

A single cigarette sold on a street corner may not cost a lot; however, the overall costs of smoking are huge.

First, consider the cost of human life. The World Health Organization says about 10 people die of a tobacco-linked disease every minute. That rate adds up to almost six million people dying from such diseases every year.

The majority of these preventable deaths happen in low-income and middle-income countries. The World Bank says each of these countries has a gross national income of less than $12,746.

Stopping smoking

For most people, stopping smoking is hard. Many began smoking as teenagers. They are used to it. Also, tobacco contains the powerful drug nicotine.

Studies show people who want to stop smoking can do so with different treatments. Some get help from electronic cigarettes, medicine or nicotine patches that reduce one's desire for the drug.

Dr. Nancy Rigotti works at Massachusetts General Hospital in the United States. She says she finds that medicine and counseling services together work best of all.

Other experts and former smokers offer even more effective advice: if you are considering starting smoking, don't.

Illegal tobacco trade

But smoking costs more than the life of an individual. It can affect the health of an entire country.

The World Health Organization says low-income countries depend heavily on taxes from cigarettes. They use the money, in part, to pay the costs of health care for tobacco-related diseases.

But the illegal trade in tobacco products is further testing the economies of low-income countries. WHO officials say the illegal trade earns about $31 billion every year.

Douglas Bettcher is the director of the WHO's Department for the Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases. He calls the illegal trade a monster with many heads.

He says the trade enables young people to buy cigarettes at low prices, become addicted to tobacco and suffer serious health problems. It also increases crime and reduces tax revenue.

"It feeds the proliferation of transnational organized crime, another head of this multi-headed monster, and it drains resources, taxes, revenue from the purses of ministries of finance, governmental coffers."

The World Health Organization is urging United Nations member states to sign a treaty to end the illegal trade in tobacco products. Eight countries have approved the treaty. But the approval of 32 other countries is needed for it to become international law.

If the treaty succeeds, governments could put people who trade illegal tobacco products in jail – another cost to countries' budgets.

I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.

VOA's Carol Pearson and reporter Lisa Schlein wrote parts of this story. Kelly Jean Kelly adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

patches – n. pieces of material that contain a drug (the material is worn on your skin, enabling the drug to slowly enter your body over a long period of time)

non-communicable – adj. not able to be passed to another person

monster – n. a powerful thing that cannot be controlled and that causes many problems

proliferation – n. rapid increase in number or amount; spread