#92: Smoking, Apparently

A recent story in the Washington Post pointed out that India is apparently in the midst of a smoking epidemic. With a booming economy that promises even further growth in the near future and a more savvy youth culture with eyes toward international trends, India promises big tobacco a yet untapped market for an expansion of cigarette sales. According to the article, India has the second largest smoking population in the world at 120 million, half of which are under the age of 30. These statistics lead health officials to speculate the number of annual smoking-related deaths to reach 1 million by 2010. Eh khaike!