In May 1999, Supreme Master Ching Hai embarked on a lecture tour throughout Europe, raising the consciousness of the Continent amidst war in the Balkans. On the same night (in the same hour) of Her final lecture, a peace agreement was finally signed. Europe has enjoyed an unprecedented period of peace since that day.

Unfortunately, during the lecture tour, Master witnessed another form of destructive behavior throughout Europe—cigarette smoking. As Her body is highly sensitive to any kind of pollution, Master developed respiratory symptoms. She repeatedly warned the European people that, for their own health and spiritual well-being, they must quit smoking cigarettes.

Amazingly, Europe has since become a world leader in eliminating cigarette smoking. Although smoking had been deeply entrenched in European culture—especially in cafés and pubs—the six European nations of Ireland, Norway, Italy, Malta, Sweden and Scotland have banned smoking in public since 2004. Similar bans will go into effect this month in Latvia, and next year in the UK.

Meanwhile, Germany is poised to adopt a ban on public smoking in the near future. Polls show that the majority of Germans favor such a ban. The German parliament is preparing the legislation right now, and with support from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who forbids smoking in cabinet meetings, “the odds for a ban have never looked so good.”

Taxation of tobacco products may be even more effective than public bans in reducing smoking. Studies show that high taxes on cigarettes consistently deter young people from smoking. In England, rising taxes have resulted in people buying fewer cigarettes and more nicotine replacement products, which help to wean them from tobacco addiction. In Bulgaria tobacco consumption has plummeted since cigarette taxes were raised earlier this year. The situation is so extreme that Bulgartabac, the state-owned tobacco industry, is on the brink of collapse.

In addition to bans on public smoking and product taxation, bans on tobacco advertising can also be effective in reducing smoking. After the European Union banned tobacco advertising on TV in the 1990s, it extended this ban to radio, print media and the Internet in 2003. The EU also spends millions on campaigns to educate young people about the dangers of tobacco.

These enlightened policies are beginning to bear fruit, as the number of people smoking in the EU dropped from 33% in 2002 to 27% by Autumn 2005. Moreover, 80% of Europeans would like to see smoking banned in public places. With Master’s continued blessing, the Golden Age will be celebrated as happy, healthy and smoke-free!