Commentary: Show the truth about tobacco
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| Published on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 |
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by Dr Mirta Roses Periago, Director
Pan American Health Organization
Tobacco is the only product that kills half the people who use it, even when they follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Therefore, in order to save millions of lives, the public must be clearly warned about the harm caused by tobacco use, as we underscored during the commemoration of World No Tobacco Day.
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Mirta Roses-Periago is the Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
AFP PHOTO |
The warnings, however, must be effective. They must really show the harm, the pain, and the lethal impact of tobacco use on health, informing people about the real magnitude of the problem and encouraging changes in behavior and a reduction in the use of this drug.
Studies in a number of countries reveal that users of tobacco products do not know enough about the risks of tobacco use and its consequences. The general public is equally in the dark. This is especially true for children and young people, who are the primary targets of the tobacco companies, whose goal is to get them hooked on this vice.
It has also been demonstrated that to raise awareness, spread the truth about the harm caused by tobacco use, and keep the tobacco companies from deceiving young people, health warnings must employ images, especially those that make a real impression. To guarantee their effectiveness, these images must appear on the upper half and principal sides of the packaging of all tobacco products (not only cigarettes), be as large as possible, and be changed regularly.
When health warnings on tobacco products meet these criteria, they are very effective in providing information on health hazards, motivating smokers to protect nonsmokers from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke, and encouraging smokers to quit or cut back. In fact, data from Brazil show that six months after the widespread use of graphic warnings on packaging, there was a ninefold increase in calls to the hotline from people seeking help to quit smoking.
Seven countries in our Region have already issued regulations requiring effective graphic warnings on the packaging of tobacco products, beginning with Canada in 2001, followed in chronological order by Brazil, Venezuela, Uruguay, Panama, Chile, and Peru, warnings that will enter into force in this latter country this month.
The Pan American Health Organization is calling on the remaining countries of the Region to follow these good examples and issue policies and regulations that will put them at the forefront in the fight against the dangers of tobacco use. We are certain that in doing so they will respond to the growing social awareness about the inescapable need to tell the truth about the harm caused by tobacco in order to protect the health of millions of people in the Americas. | | | | Reads : 715 | | | |
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