A report released in Washington, D.C
on Tuesday, January 10, 2017 may have provided a reason why the fight
against tobacco must be a priority for countries around the world. The report
finds that tobacco use does not contribute to economic development.
According to science, tobacco smoking is dangerous to health |
According to the study, tobacco use
burdens countries with more than $1 trillion a year in health care costs and
lost productivity, while measures to reduce tobacco use are highly
cost-effective and do not harm economies
.The report, titled: “The Economics
of Tobacco and Tobacco Control”, was issued by the U.S. National Cancer
Institute and the World Health Organisation (WHO). It is said to be the first
comprehensive review of the economic impact of tobacco use and global tobacco
control efforts in nearly 20 years.
The report underscores that tobacco
use disproportionally harms the world’s most vulnerable populations. In the
United States and around the world, tobacco use is increasingly concentrated
among the poor and other vulnerable groups and accounts for a significant share
of health disparities between rich and poor, the report notes.
These disparities are exacerbated by
a lack of access to health care, diversion of household spending from basic
needs such as food and shelter to tobacco, and increased health care spending
and reduced income stemming from tobacco-related diseases.
Importantly, the report finds that
higher tobacco taxes and prices reduce health disparities because they lead to
greater reductions in tobacco use among the poor. Contrary to the claims of the
tobacco industry, it is tobacco use – and not tobacco taxes – that disproportionately
harms poor people, adds the report.
It assesses the impact of tobacco
control measures being implemented around the world, including significant
tobacco tax and price increases, bans on tobacco marketing, pictorial warnings
on tobacco products, smoke-free policies and population-wide tobacco cessation
programs. These measures are called for by the world’s first public health
treaty, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which obligates 180
countries to implement these proven policies to reduce tobacco use. The report
finds that these policies and programmes are highly cost-effective, with
significant tobacco tax and price increases being the most cost-effective of
these interventions.
The tobacco industry’s deep pockets
and deadly tactics remain the greatest obstacle to progress in addressing the
devastating global toll of tobacco use. The report notes that in addition to
continued implementation of evidence-based tobacco control strategies, vigilant
monitoring of the tobacco industry’s ongoing efforts to promote tobacco use and
undermine tobacco control is crucial.
The report emphasises that, while
tremendous progress has been made in reducing tobacco use, urgent and sustained
global action is needed to prevent tobacco use from killing one billion people
worldwide this century.
*** From Environews
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