World Tobacco Day is observed annually on May 31st. It was established by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise awareness about the health, economic, and environmental risks associated with tobacco use and to advocate for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption. Each year, the day focuses on a specific theme related to tobacco control and aims to encourage governments, communities, and individuals to take action against tobacco use.
This year, the day will be celebrated with the theme of “Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products.” Let’s save youth by exposing the deceptive and hidden tactics of the tobacco industry on tobacco and nicotine products!
Studies conducted at different times show that the number of people dying from non-communicable diseases is currently increasing significantly worldwide. According to WHO, smoking and the use of other tobacco products are among the main causes of non-communicable diseases in humans.
WHO says there are 1.3 billion tobacco users worldwide. Tobacco use is one of the world’s leading public health problems, killing more than 8 million people each year. Of these people who die from tobacco smoke, more than 7 million are direct smokers, while more than 1 million are second-hand smokers, who are exposed to tobacco smoke in various ways.
Tobacco is a controlled substance and contains over 7,000 chemicals in its leaves alone. Many of these chemicals are harmful, with about 70 of them known to cause cancer. Smoking cigarettes and using other tobacco products is addictive, can lead to serious lung diseases, cancer, heart disease, birth defects, and serious health problems for both non-smokers and those living in smoky environments. The life expectancy of smokers is at least 10 years shorter than that of non-smokers.
Considering these negative impacts, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) was adopted in 2005 to address the rapidly growing global health, social, and economic burden of tobacco use.
Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority (EFDA) Narcotic, Psychotropics and Tobacco Control Desk Head Tolessa Gemeda said that the WHO FCTC requires countries to implement important and cost-effective tobacco control measures to reduce the number of people who smoke. Among the key provisions that FCTC recommends are increasing taxes on tobacco products and banning smoking at the workplace, public gatherings, and public transport to save second-hand smokers.
It also requires a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, sponsorship, and promotion, including requiring a minimum of 50% pictorial/graphic health warnings on tobacco product packaging.
These measures can be considered as a starting point for the universal implementation of the Convention. The Convention recommends the implementation of several measures, including the disclosure and control of ingredients in tobacco products, the prohibition of the sale of tobacco products to minors, tobacco addiction treatment, research and information exchange, and public awareness-raising.
He also stated that our country, Ethiopia, adopted the WHO FCTC in 2005 and approved it by the House of People’s Representatives through Proclamation No. 822/2006, entrusting the Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority (EFDA) with monitoring and coordinating its implementation.
The Authority has been working with partners to implement strong tobacco control provisions through Proclamation No. 1112/2011. In addition to Proclamation 1112/11, the Authority has also issued Tobacco Control Directive No. 771/2013, Pictorial Health Warning Directive No. 46/2012, and Tobacco Product Disposal Directive No. 1003/2016, which have led to extensive work.
The Authority is also working by establishing a National Tobacco Control Coordinating Committee and developing an 8-year National Tobacco Control Strategic Plan, utilizing its authority and responsibility. Furthermore, the authority is working in coordination with regional regulatory bodies, especially with the Addis Ababa Food and Drug Authority and local humanitarian organizations, to carry out several initiatives to make Addis Ababa city free from tobacco smoke, and encouraging results have been achieved, he explained.
Tobacco control is being focused on strengthening the capacity of regulatory professionals working at the federal and regional levels to enforce the restrictions set by law, as well as preventing the widespread harm caused to public health and the national economy by the entry of illegal tobacco products into the country.According to Tolessa, the Authority has conducted two national adult tobacco use surveys (GATS) with stakeholders to assess the status of the work done and to improve those that have yielded low results and to continue to strengthen the results of those that have yielded good results (GATS 2016 and GATS 2024). In particular, significant changes have been made in the National Adult Tobacco Use Survey (GATS 2024) conducted for the second time in 2024 and was recently released a few months ago.
This means that in the first GATS 2016 study, the total number of tobacco users in Ethiopia was 5%, and in the second GATS 2024 study, it was 4.6%. On the other hand, in the GATS 2016 study, the prevalence of second-hand smoke exposure in workplaces was 29.3%, while in the GATS 2024 study, it was 19.8%. In the GATS 2016 study, 60.4% of people were exposed to secondhand smoke in bars and nightclubs, and 31.1% in restaurants and eateries, but this decreased to 20.2% in the GATS 2024 study due to the extensive tobacco control efforts. In addition, the number of female smokers, which was 1.2% in GATS 2016, decreased significantly to 0.4% in GATS 2024.
Ethiopia celebrates the day highlighting the negative impacts of tobacco on the country. Accordingly, various activities are being carried out using the media to create awareness among the public and make them the owners of control. As part of this awareness campaign, World No Tobacco Day, which is celebrated annually on May 23, is one of the events. Hence, the Authority has been working with various stakeholders to celebrate the day at various awareness platforms nationwide, and this work will continue this year.
This year, the World No Tobacco Day, which is celebrated for the 38th time globally and for the 33rd time nationally on May 23/2017, will be celebrated under the theme “Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products!” by the World Health Organization. The campaign is focused on exposing the methods used by the tobacco and nicotine industries to make their harmful products appear attractive.
He explained that the main reason for choosing this year’s campaign theme is that tobacco, nicotine, and related products are being presented in an attractive/interesting way, which is one of the leading public health problems of our time, especially for the health of young people. Nowadays, using modern technology, many flavoured nicotine products are added to tobacco products, which is cited as the number one reason for using the products. Therefore, these tobacco industries use subtle strategies to make their harmful tobacco products and addictive nicotine products attractive, especially to young people.
Additives, in particular, are a method aimed to conceal the dangers of tobacco, and this is interpreted as evidence that significant attempts are being made to improve its acceptability among young people. So it’s critical to understand their sophisticated techniques. For example, in these businesses, one of the methods utilized is glamourized marketing: Stylish designs, appealing colors, and appealing flavors are purposefully used/marketed to attract the younger portion of society, including via digital media channels.
Furthermore, they used deceptive designs: Some items use candy and even attractive images on the carton/packaging to make them taste sweet, which young people/children naturally enjoy. Coolants and additives make the product more enticing to customers, increasing the likelihood of continuous usage and decreasing the likelihood of stopping, making them more prone to develop drug addiction.
As a result, the tobacco industry profits from the high cost of health by enticing people, particularly children and young people, into addiction. Recently, these companies have strengthened their tactics by deploying electronic cigarettes and addictive nicotine packets in appealing, flavorful, trendy, and modern forms. They are also promoting these items as entertaining and ‘harmless’ to target the younger portion of society, utilizing appealing packaging.
Thus, the tobacco industry is continuously working to make these products more appealing by adding flavorings and other substances that affect their appearance, smell, and taste. These tactics are purposefully and meticulously developed to conceal the numerous harms that tobacco causes to humans.
Therefore, raising public awareness using the theme and theme of this year’s World No Tobacco Day should be considered a crucial task to expose this interference and the hidden conspiracy of the tobacco industry. Another important task is to reduce the interest of the youth in tobacco by informing the public that tobacco product promotion and sponsorship have been completely banned. Finally, it is essential to raise awareness of the dangers of nicotine and tobacco products in a meaningful way, he elucidated.
BY EPHREM ANDARGACHEW
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 28 MAY 2025
