World No Tobacco Day on Tuesday:

Bid goodbye to a vile habit

By Pramod DE SILVA

Smoking Kills. It is not only a slogan, it is also a fact. Smoking - direct and passive - kills six million people every year around the world. Millions more get a death sentence in the form of lung or mouth cancer. Smoking is a cancer that we can do without, for it adds nothing to our lives except misery. And it reduces years from the lives of those who smoke.

Apart from the six million people around the world who die each year from direct tobacco use, or exposure to tobacco products, around 600,000 non-smokers are affected by second-hand smoke. Unless more people decide to give up smoking, the habit could kill up to one billion people in the 21st century.

Because tobacco use is growing most steadily in low and middle-income countries, by 2030, more than 80 percent of tobacco deaths will be in these countries. Smoking is, therefore, not only a public health priority, but also a key development issue.

If you still smoke, there is still time to quit. There is an occasion just around the corner which will help you make this life-changing decision. The special event is the World No Tobacco Day, which falls on May 31.

The World No Tobacco Day is observed worldwide every year to encourage tobacco users to abstain from consuming of all forms of tobacco for at least 24 hours. But smokers are encouraged to give it up for life.

The World No Tobacco Day was initiated in 1987, when the World Health Assembly (WHA) of the World Health Organization (WHO) passed a resolution which ultimately formed the World No Tobacco Day (WNTD).

The primary objective of WNTD was to enlighten people about the deadly components of tobacco and its repercussions. The lead organisation of the UN for WNTD is the WHO.

Each year, on this day, the WHO chooses a theme that carries global messages to quit smoking and to raise awareness on the dangers of smoking. This year, the WHO has gone a step further and highlighted a theme that stresses the legal side of tobacco prevention, as opposed to the usual 'awareness' themes.

The WHO in January 2011 selected 'The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control' (FCTC), which is considered the world's primary tobacco curbing instrument, as the theme of this year's WNTD events.

First treaty

The first treaty ever negotiated under the auspices of WHO, it represents a signal achievement in the advancement of public health. In force since 2005, it is already one of the most rapidly and widely embraced treaties in the history of the United Nations, with more than 170 Parties.

The World No Tobacco Day 2011 will highlight the treaty's overall importance, to stress countries' obligations under the treaty and promote the essential role of the Conference of the Parties and WHO in supporting countries' efforts to meet those obligations.

The WHO notes that "The world needs the WHO FCTC as much as, if not more than, it did in 1996 when the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution calling for an international framework convention on tobacco control".

According to the WHO, tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death. This year, more than six million people will die from a tobacco-related heart attack, stroke, cancer, lung ailment or other disease.

This does not include the more than 600,000 people - more than a quarter of them children - who will die from exposure to second-hand smoke. The annual death toll from the global epidemic of tobacco use could rise to eight million by 2030, less than 20 years away.

The WHO FCTC confers legal obligations on its countries (and the European Union) that have formally acceded to it:

Among these obligations are those to:

* Protect public health policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry,

* Adopt price and tax measures to reduce the demand for tobacco,

* Protect people from exposure to tobacco smoke,

* Regulate the contents of tobacco products,

* Regulate tobacco product disclosures,

* Regulate the packaging and labelling of tobacco products,

* Warn people about the dangers of tobacco,

* Ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship,

* Offer people help to end their addiction to tobacco,

* Control the illicit trade in tobacco products,

* Ban cigarette sales to and by minors,

* Support economically viable alternatives to tobacco growing.

The treaty also recognises the importance of international cooperation and of helping low and middle-income countries to meet their treaty obligations.

Key message

The campaign will focus on the following key message: that countries must fully implement the treaty to protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.

On World No Tobacco Day 2011, and throughout the following year, the WHO will urge countries to put the treaty at the heart of their efforts to control the global epidemic of tobacco use. By heeding WHO's call, countries will enhance their ability to significantly reduce the toll of tobacco-related diseases and deaths in line with their treaty obligations.

Sri Lanka, a Party to the Treaty, is one of the most prominent success stories in the fight against tobacco use. It has taken many measures to curb smoking and the new laws passed a couple of years ago give law enforcement authorities enhanced powers to deal with tobacco-related offences.

Yet, millions of cigarettes are sold daily and nearly 20,000 persons die each year in Sri Lanka from tobacco-related complications. These are precious lives that could be saved just by one single act - giving up smoking for good. Doctors and health campaigners around the world, including those in Sri Lanka, will be urging smokers to give up their habit. They will point out the many benefits that stopping smoking can bring - including better overall health, more money and higher fertility.

Doctors are aware that for addicts, giving up smoking is not easy. Nicotine and other addictive chemicals in cigarettes can make giving up extremely difficult. But with the right guidance and enough will-power, becoming smoke-free is perfectly possible. There are many proven programs that help smokers to literally kick the butt.

A demonstration against smoking

In the meantime, more countries are taking legislative measures to curb smoking. In New York, smoking is being banned in most public places including parks. Australia is set to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes, with huge warnings on the dangers of smoking (See picture, top left). This could be emulated by other countries if successful in Australia.

Currently, branded cigarette packs have warnings, but only in small print. Also in Australia, there is even talk of smokers having to obtain a pricey 'licence' for the privilege, though the controversial move is still being debated.

Anti-smoking laws

The tobacco industry, while outwardly showing signs of complying with international anti-smoking laws, resorts to various means to spread the habit worldwide, especially among youth. With tobacco advertising completely banned since 2008, they are finding novel methods to popularise cigarettes. It is important to defeat these attempts at local and international level. The media too must play a more pro-active role in tobacco prevention. No country has so far completely banned tobacco, the only legally available drug in most countries.

But the idea is to implement various measures to discourage smoking to the point that lighting up is almost impossible anywhere except at one's home. If more people give up smoking either voluntarily or through the force of restrictive laws, it will be a major victory for governments and health services worldwide. It will help millions of unnecessary deaths, save a vast amount of money (the health cost of smoking is enormous) and result in a healthier next generation. And we will all be able to breathe some fresh air, at last.