"...tobacco is the only legally available consumer product which kills people when it is used entirely as intended" (The Oxford Medical Companion). This is an excerpt from the WHO report on global tobacco epidemic, released in 2008. According to the report, in the 20th century, the tobacco epidemic killed 100 million people. Now it kills 5.4 million annually. If not to take urgent measures, by 2030 this figure will exceed 8 million.
Every day, human brains have to assess a lot of risks around them, processing enormous volume of information in order to be protected from danger and even save lives. For example, when man wants to pass the street, brain starts to evaluate the distance, which can be risk-free to life, the distance to a moving vehicle, its speed. After analyzing the data, the brain gives a signal to muscles, or prohibits or allows to move. There is a danger of another kind, invisible with eye and not perceived by other senses, such as asbestos, or radioactive materials. Work with them or their use is tightly regulated. Situation on smoking is ambiguous. On the one hand, the danger of smoking to human health is a well-proven fact, and most consumers are aware of this product. This is also known to all governments. Nevertheless, the number of smoking people in the world continues to grow. According to WHO, this year tobacco will kill more than five million people - more than the combined tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and malaria. The security mechanism is not working. "It is mind-boggling that a product as destructive to the human body as the cigarette remains almost completely unregulated to protect health and safety" (Matthew L. Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids).
There are different tendencies in different regions of the world. The number of smokers in Western Europe and the United States is decreasing, while it is increasing in low-income countries. At present, 70 percent of all smokers live in poor and developing countries, although 30-40 years ago it was vice versa. It is no accidential: it is the time lag between the peak of smoking prevalence and peak of deaths from diseases caused by smoking these countries. Therefore, Europe has already sounded the alarm. Being concerned over their demographic status, the European countries toughened up legislative measures and enlighten their populations about the possible fatal consequences of smoking. According to the report by WHO, by 2030 the developing countries will have more than 80 percent of deaths caused by tobacco use.
The WHO report envisages a set of measures, implementation of which should ensure success in combating the tobacco epidemic. MPOWER - six strategies that will ensure a significant reduction in tobacco use: 1 - Monitor tobacco use and prevention policies, 2 - Protect people from tobacco smoke, 3 - Offer help to quit tobacco use, 4 - Warn about the dangers of tobacco, 5 - Enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; 6 - Raise taxes on tobacco.
According to the data provided by the WHO Regional Office for Europe in 2007, in Azerbaijan the percentage of smokers, starting from the age of 15 is approximately 18 percent. Of them, 38 percent is men, 0.1 percent - women.
In 2005, Azerbaijan joined the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. One of the requirements for the countries joining the Convention is to create and introduce a law prohibiting smoking in indoor workplaces and public places. According to officials, a draft law in this regard is expected to be discussed in Azerbaijan in autumn. In European countries, such laws differ due to the degrees of severity. The United Kingdom and Ireland are the only European countries that use the most stringent rules to protect people from tobacco smoke: imposed a complete ban on smoking in all indoor workplaces and public places.
Another group of countries elected just a soft regime, allowing smoking only in specially designated areas. This is France, the three Scandinavian countries, Italy, Netherlands, etc. The third group is still the most numerous, which apply laws only partially protecting from tobacco smoke, allowing smoking not only in special rooms for smoking, but also in some other places. This is Germany, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Romania, Baltic States and other countries. Currently the European Union made proposals to harmonize legislation in all member countries, tightening the rules regulating the zones free from tobacco smoke. Today, smoking in the EU puts an end to 650,000 lives per year, including the effects of passive smoking. Therefore, the majority of the European parliamentarians believe that only a complete ban on smoking in all indoor workplaces and public places will help protect people from harmful impact of tobacco smoke. Most Europeans (84 percent), including the smokers themselves, approve such measures.
The law on the protection of people from passive smoking is only one of six strategies. A very effective measure is to increase taxes on tobacco products to make them less accessible. According to the report, an increase of 10 percent can reduce tobacco consumption by 4 percent in high-income countries and 8 percent in low-and middle-income countries, while experience shows that despite the decline in consumption, tax revenue will increase. For example, despite the most stringent tobacco policy and reduction in tobacco consumption, in Ireland and UK, the budget incomes are the highest:
The success of tobacco policy in Azerbaijan will depend on political will of the authorities and professional execution. But the main factor for the success should be public support. Everyone should answer the question whether to continue to poison their children and loved ones, or it must end.