Author: Deepak Joshi Pokhrel
With the theme “Unmasking Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products”, the International No Tobacco Day was observed across the globe amidst big fanfare just a couple of days ago. This year, the campaign will focus on revealing the tactics that the tobacco and nicotine industries use to make their harmful product seem attractive.
The annual day is an opportunity to raise awareness on the harmful effects of tobacco use and secondhand exposure and to discourage the use of tobacco in any form. Likewise, the day offers an opportunity to acknowledge the achievements and recognize the gaps in terms of the implementation of measures to discourage tobacco use.
‘No Tobacco Day’ was created in 1987 by members of the states of World Health Organization to raise awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco across the globe. This was truly a welcome move on the part of the member states, as tobacco consumption was taking a huge toll on human health. But sadly, the tobacco industry condemns the move as it has adversely affected their business
One of the primary health challenges today is the attractiveness of tobacco, nicotine, and related products, particularly to young audiences. The tobacco industry targets the young audience and consistently finds ways to woo them by making their products appealing. The young audiences are driven by the illusion that tobacco consumption will cultivate and foster their personality, making them a person to reckon with. They also believe that tobacco consumption will de-stress them at the time of pain and anxiety. The report shows that the children aged between 13 to 15 in most countries are using tobacco and other nicotine products
Over the years, the number of tobacco users has increased drastically despite the government’s efforts to reduce the tobacco users to zero. According to the World Health Organization, there are over 50 million tobacco users across the globe. What is even worse is that half of them come from poor Asian and African countries. In 2025, an estimated 8.71 million people are expected to die from tobacco consumption globally. This is an alarming statistic and it is likely to increase in the next few decades.
All forms of tobacco use are harmful, and there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco. Cigarette smoking is the most common form of tobacco use worldwide. Other tobacco uses include waterpipe tobacco, cigars, cigarillos, heated tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco, pipe tobacco, bidis, and smokeless tobacco products.
Every year, tobacco kills more than 8 million including an estimated 1.3 million nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke globally. Likewise, around 80% of the world’s 1.3 billion tobacco users live in low and middle-income countries. In 2020, 22.3% of the world’s population used tobacco. Of which, 36.7% of men and 7.8% were women. To address these casualties arising from tobacco consumption, the WHO member states adopted the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in 2003. At present, 182 countries are Parties to this treaty. It has become one of the most rapidly accepted international treaties in the history of the United Nations.
At present, the WHO South-East Asian region has the highest percentage of population using tobacco at 26.5%, with the European region not far behind at 25.3%. The report shows that by 2023, the WHO European region is projected to have the highest rates globally, with the prevalence of just over 23%. The tobacco use rates among women in the WHO’s European region are more than double the global average and are reducing much more slowly than in all other regions.
Why the tobacco and nicotine-related products increasing drastically? There are several answers to this question. However, the key one is the sinister agenda of the tobacco industry across the globe. The tobacco industry has been sabotaging the attempts of WHO member states to raise awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco consumption. It woos the farmers to grow tobacco products, telling them it yields a better dividend than agricultural products. The politics of the tobacco industry are understandable. There is a need to raise awareness about alternative crop production and marketing opportunities for tobacco farmers and encourage them to grow sustainable and nutritious crops.
The other areas that call for urgent attention of concerned stakeholders are the effective implementation of remedial measures. Many public health champions argue that the past anti-tobacco measures failed to deliver the results because of their weak implementation and monitoring.
Likewise, there is a strong need to reinforce the FCTC framework globally. In 2008, the FCTC developed guidelines for regulating the banning of tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship. But this has not been implemented seriously, laying the ground to flourish the tobacco industry to flourish globally.
It is a bitter reality that governments globally are reluctant to take harsh action against the tobacco industry. The reason is that the tobacco industry contributes huge revenue to the government, playing a key role in keeping its economy afloat. The government globally vows to abolish industry, but their action suggests otherwise.
Tobacco companies represent themselves as trustworthy and socially responsible to gain a seat at the policy-making table, where they can advocate for policies that benefit them. Even though interference in tobacco control and health policy is prohibited according to the WHO, tobacco companies seek loopholes that allow them to work with the government and policymakers
When such immoral and unethical practices continue, the dream envisioned by WHO member states of bringing tobacco users to zero will always remain elusive.
References:
- https://www.who.int/news/item/11-11-2024-no-tobacco-day-2025–unmasking-the-appeal
- https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tobacco
- https://www.paho.org/en/tobacco-control-achievements-challenges-and-way-forward
- https://www.who.int/news/item/16-01-2024-tobacco-use-declines-despite-tobacco-industry-efforts-to-jeopardize-progress
- https://www.moralambition.org/stories/abolish-the-tobacco-industry
- https://theunion.org/news/stop-findings-expose-tobacco-industry-exploitation-of-sustainability-to-improve-image-and-profits
