Tobacco Control Treaty Has Saved Millions of Lives
HAVANA TIMES – Twenty years after its entry into force, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control has saved millions of lives by reducing smoking, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO).
“Tobacco is a scourge for humanity, the leading cause of preventable death and disease worldwide,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Currently, up to 5.6 billion people—the planet has 8.2 billion—are covered by at least one tobacco control policy in accordance with the treaty, which has 183 parties, 182 states, and the European Union, covering more than 90% of the global population.
Tedros stated that “since the treaty came into force and the technical package supporting it, the global prevalence of tobacco use has been reduced by one-third, and studies have shown a decline in global smoking rates.”
The treaty establishes a legal framework and a set of tobacco control measures based on scientific evidence, including large graphic health warnings on cigarette packages, anti-tobacco laws, and increased taxes on tobacco products.
It came into force on February 27, 2005, and as a result, 138 countries now require large graphic health warnings on cigarette packages. Dozens more have implemented plain packaging standards that require a standard shape and appearance without branding, design, or logos.
Both measures are powerful tools to reduce tobacco consumption and warn consumers of its dangers, according to the WHO.
In addition, more than a quarter of the global population is now covered by policies that ban smoking in indoor and workplace areas, saving millions of people from the dangers of secondhand smoke.
On the other hand, over 66 countries have implemented bans on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship, including in the media and sponsorship agreements.
The treaty has also helped establish legal defenses against the tobacco industry, which spends tens of billions of dollars on promotion.
“It is a deadly industry behind the smoking epidemic, now trying to position itself as part of the solution, while actively undermining tobacco control efforts that could save millions more lives,” said the treaty’s Secretariat Head, Adriana Blanco Marquizo.
The treaty “provides Parties with a broad range of measures to protect populations from the ever-evolving tactics of the industry, designed to profit at the expense of people’s lives and the health of our planet,” Blanco Marquizo added.
The WHO has denounced that “the tobacco industry continues to undermine public health efforts, aggressively targeting youth through marketing, exerting pressure against tobacco control policies, and positioning itself as part of the solution to the problem it created.”
Blanco Marquizo criticized that “the tobacco industry continues to kill millions of people each year, and its socio-economic burdens cause strain on entire populations.”
The WHO argues that tobacco use is one of the leading causes of non-communicable diseases, which cause premature deaths and disabilities.
Tobacco-related diseases result in catastrophic healthcare costs, especially for the poor worldwide. Smokers are also more likely to lack access to nutritious food than non-smokers, even in wealthier countries.
Tobacco cultivation uses large areas of land that could otherwise sustain sustainable food production systems, while its production further depletes vital resources like land and water, necessary to produce food.
Furthermore, billions of discarded plastic cigarette butts pollute ecosystems every year, further damaging the planet.
According to the WHO, countries must fully implement the measures outlined in the treaty, particularly by increasing tobacco taxes, applying comprehensive advertising and sponsorship bans, and regulating the ingredients in tobacco products.