Smoking is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, killing more than 6 million people every year.
According to a World Health Organisation report, if we don’t put an end to the expansion of tobacco products the causalities of smoking will reach 8 million by the year 2030. In the waking measure, almost 200 countries signed the World Health Organisation’s tobacco control Convention and agreed to follow and implement the WHO conventions. But from a trade and economic perspective it is a herculean task for world governments to control the tobacco trade, as was demonstrated recently, when Philip Morris, one of the top 5 tobacco companies, sued Uruguay and Australia for compensation for their loss as a result of bilateral treaties.
Development in Asian countries
The Asia-Pacific region is the leader in the sale and production of tobacco products. China alone produces 40% of cigarettes worldwide and it is an important industry for China’s GDP growth. If the conventions adopted by WHO FCTC are followed in China, it would control half of the smoking industry. After the strong recommendation of WHO in Moscow, China is planning to increase the tax on tobacco products as an attempt to reduce the 300 million smokers in China. Although tobacco taxes were increased in China in 2009, the hike didn’t provide the desired output since the tax rate doesn’t affect the tobacco industry which is clearly received from the comparison of same cigarettes which cost $13 to $15 in the USA and only $2 in China. To add further burden on tax The National Health and Family Planning commission is joining with other government agencies to lobby the government to curb tobacco use by increasing tax. The central government has devised a plan to ban advertising and to strengthen the mandatories on anti-tobacco campaign advertisements.
Development in European and American countries
Ninety percent of adult smokers in US started to smoke before the age of 19, so the FDA has put strong regulations to ban selling cigarettes to young smokers both online and offline as a WHO convention measure to control cigarette smoking. American citizens are encouraged to use e-cigarettes, which contain fewer harmful substances than conventional cigarettes . The American heart association says that the Vape cigarette is a better replacement for the conventional cigarette since it has liquid content of nicotine that was approved by FDA. As well as America and China, European countries are also starting to establish anti-smoking measures and in fact, Ireland is the global leader in anti-smoking and it has devised a plan for a smoking free Ireland by the year 2025.
For the first time in the world, smoking is banned in the workplace since 2004 and now the Irish government is planning to control the advertisements since most of the people are influenced by them. Recent legislation proposed to ban the logos and colouring on packets and to enforce a uniform cover with health warnings. As in Australia and Uruguay, cigarette companies are protesting against this government move. However, in defiance of the protest, the government is trying to establish more campaigns. Ireland’s minister said that warnings on cigarette packets will discourage children from smoking. After Ireland, France is trying to establish a similar law banning advertisements on packets. If the world countries cooperate together the world will become tobacco free in the future.
