Most of us know how detrimental tobacco is to our health. The more than 7,000 deadly chemicals in tobacco cause diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory problems and cancer, just to name a few potentially fatal health conditions. But what many people often don't recognize is the devastating impact of tobacco use and production on global trade and economies. To shed light on the economic devastation caused by tobacco around the world, the American Cancer Society and the World Lung Foundation Monday held a unique event in Washington, DC to unveil the fourth edition of the Tobacco Atlas.
The Tobacco Atlas provides a comprehensive look at the global impact of tobacco on the health and economies around the world. First unveiled at the World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Singapore in March, the Atlas is an invaluable resource for tobacco advocates across the globe. Watch this powerful video that gives an overview of the report. Monday's event held at the National Press Club in downtown Washington featured all three authors of the Tobacco Atlas: Michael Eriksen, Sc.D, Judith Mackay, PhD and Hana Ross, PhD. The authors gave an overview of their findings, which included the following startling statistics:
We were also joined by Keith Hansen, director for human development at The World Bank. He offered a fascinating perspective on how the development community is trying to tackle tobacco use and how the tobacco industry is fighting back at every turn. He discussed how frightening the tobacco endemic is in developing countries, particularly in Africa. But, he also said that there is tremendous opportunity to help the global economy if we are able to maintain a healthy workforce. Keith explained that economists and ministers of finance must work together for effective tobacco control.
The event launched an important conversation that needs to take place in communities across the world. If we don't work together to combat tobacco use through such measures as implementing strong smoke-free laws, significant and consistent tobacco taxes and effective cessation programs we're not only looking at a health catastrophe on our hands, but a global economic crisis. The Tobacco Atlas provides a variety of solutions for how we can curb the disturbing trends we're seeing across the world. I invite you to take a look at the interactive Tobacco Atlas website and learn for yourself about what we can all do to make sure the future holds promise for the fight against tobacco.
Today’s blog is one of a series of posts highlighting how ACS CAN is examining, prioritizing and pursuing policy interventions that ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to prevent, find, treat and survive cancer. Achieving health equity in communities nationwide is a cornerstone of our mission.