Tobacco: Silently hiding smokers in graves
Tobacco was historically discovered by a European in the person of Christopher Columbus in 1492, initially, it was only smoked by high-class personalities during festivities but Columbus took it back to Europe where it gained recognition. Smoking increased dramatically during world wars, it was supplied to troops for free mainly to boost their morale but...
WHO FCTC needs assessment in the United Republic of Tanzania
Several state and non-state actors met virtually and face-to-face the week of 28 June 2021 in Dar Es Salaam for a needs assessment exercise for the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). Aimed at assessing the implementation of the Treaty that the United Republic of Tanzania ratified in 2007, this exercise is jointly...
Malawi: UK tobacco firms fail in bid to have Malawi child labour case struck out
BAT and Imperial Tobacco deny they are responsible for farming families’ exploitation Two big UK tobacco companies have failed to persuade the high court to strike out a case against them that alleges they are responsible for the exploitation of Malawian farming families and child labour in their drive for profits. British American Tobacco and Imperial...
USA: Tobacco control advocates encouraged by FDA announcement to ban menthol cigarettes
A late-April announcement that the Food and Drug Administration is moving to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars in the United States is sparking hope for tobacco control and smoking-cessation advocates. Michael Cummings, Ph.D., a researcher at MUSC Hollings Cancer Center and a tobacco control expert, believes it is a step in the right...
Our World is Being Burned By Tobacco
Every step of a tobacco product’s life cycle degrades our planet and decimates our natural resources. The tobacco industry doesn’t just hurt our health. It tears down trees, erodes soil and produces toxic waste. And that’s even before its deadly products are sold to consumers. Once used, tobacco products pollute the air, poison fish and...
Tobacco taxation – a win for public health, a win for revenue and a win for the economy overall
A new tobacco tax manual recently released by WHO, confirms that the most cost-effective, mechanism for reducing tobacco consumption is a significant increase in excise taxes that leads to price increases. Although this evidence on the effectiveness of tobacco taxation is irrefutable, it remained the least implemented of the MPOWER measures (designed to support...
