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ALTHOUGH the first anti-smoking law came into effect in 1999, when Hungary was the world's third heaviest country for smoking, and the Health Ministry declared war on smoking by launching a nationwide program, smoking is still the number one public health hazard in 2006. In addition, Hungary ranks first in the world for rates of lung cancer in both genders, as well as for mouth cancer.

"Hungarian men and women under 65 are twice as likely to die of cancer as other European citizens, as the number of victims has gone up sharply in the past two decades," Róza Adány, a professor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences said at a conference this April. . . .

Also the Hungarian Society of Hungarian Pulmonologists recently proposed to lawmakers an overall ban on smoking in all public places, arguing that in European Union countries where a zero tolerance on smoking is endorsed, the average ratio of smokers dropped to 27% in 2005 from 32% previously, while the ratio in Hungary currently stands at 35%. According to WHO statistics, the per capita cigarette consumption in Hungary is 3,265 a year, 800 more than in the European Union. As many as 42% of Hungarian men and 29% of women smoke regularly, more than in the EU member states.

Around 53,000 men and 17,000 women die of cancer in Hungary each year. Hungary is the global leader in lung cancer mortality among men.

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