WHO wants tougher laws on smoking

MANILA, Philippines - The World Health Organization (WHO) is pushing for full implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the first international treaty on public health, to save some six million people who die from the “tobacco epidemic” each year.

In a statement, WHO director for Western Pacific Dr. Shin Young-soo said there is a need for countries to pass and enforce national laws to combat cigarette smoking.

“In our region, it is estimated that close to half of all men smoke and half of all women and children are regularly exposed to the deadly toxins of second-hand smoke at home and in public places. This means that about 900 million people are regularly exposed and are at high risk for tobacco-related diseases. This has a significant impact not only on health but also on the economy of countries,” he said.

WHO records show that annually, some six million people worldwide die from tobacco-related diseases like heart disease, cancer, stroke and emphysema. They account for 63 percent of deaths from non-communicable diseases.

Passive or second-hand exposure to tobacco causes some 600,000 deaths globally each year.

WHO is pushing for national laws that are in accordance with FCTC “to reduce the health and economic burden of tobacco use.”

FCTC calls for the “banning of all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, providing health warnings, banning sale to minors, protecting people against exposure to second-hand smoke, raising prices and taxes and other measures to regulate tobacco use.”

WHO added that full implementation of the FCTC will save the lives of millions of people who would otherwise die prematurely in their productive years.

“Full implementation of the WHO-FCTC will also save billions of dollars that would otherwise be lost through medical expenditures on tobacco-related disease and/or losses in productivity of workers,” it said.

Of the six WHO regions, Western Pacific has the “greatest number of smokers, the highest rates of male smoking prevalence (and the) the fastest increase in tobacco uptake by women and young people.”

One in three cigarettes consumed globally is smoked in the region to which the Philippines belongs.

The WHO warned that each stick of cigarette contains more than 7,000 chemicals, most of which can cause cancer.

“Unchecked, the tobacco epidemic could undermine other public health gains as well as hamper economic growth and development in the region,” the agency said.

WHO said the “biggest barrier” to enactment and enforcement of national laws that are consistent with the WHO-FCTC is interference of the tobacco industry in public health policy-making.

“Vigilance and concerted action by governments, civil society and communities are needed to stop this and enable full implementation of the treaty,” it said.