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Tobacco Atlas

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“Every human being is the author of his own health or disease.”

—Sidhārtha Gautama Budha (563–483 BCE)

Religion plays an important role in the daily life of many people throughout the world, influencing each nation’s social norms and cultural traditions.

Tobacco, an indigenous plant of the Americas, is considered a sacrament by many Native American cultures. In the Cherokee tradition, for instance, smoke acts as a messenger carrying prayers to the spirit world. In the pre-Columbian era, ceremonial and ritualistic uses of tobacco leaf in Native American culture were infrequent and typically did not lead to addiction or create public health problems. Today, however, Native American and indigenous groups exhibit some of the highest rates of tobacco use in the world.

Most major religions of the Old World, founded before the advent of the tobacco pandemic, do not specifically address tobacco in their founding texts, but the general precepts of every religion agree that people should protect their life and health, as well as the sanctity of their family and community.

“Offering cigarettes to monks is a sin.”

—Thai Anti-Smoking Campaign Project poster used to curb smoking among Buddhist monks, 2002

“Since the damage caused by smoking to human life is so evident, there is no doubt that it is haram (forbidden).”

—Dr. Ahmad Omar Hashim, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt

“If smoking causes substantial harm to a male or female smoker or to the fetus, then it is prohibited.”

—Shiite Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Najaf, Iraq

“Whatever short-lived pleasure it may provide, there is now no doubt that the use of tobacco is a cause of much disease and misery.”

—His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama

“Our faith traditions inform us that our bodies are gifts from God and, therefore, should be treasured and treated with dignity. This means, among other things, that tobacco companies should not be allowed to entice our children to pollute their bodies.”

—James Winkler, chair, Faith United Against Tobacco Convention

Roman Catholicism

The ancient concept of mens sana in corpore sano (a sound mind in a sound body) was reaffirmed in the Pontifical Council’s recognition of tobacco’s harmful effects and the papal committee’s 2002 ban on public smoking in the Vatican.

Christianity

Many Christian churches consider tobacco a violation of the body— “the temple of the Holy Spirit.” Churches may abjure tobacco in the interests of social justice and to achieve wholeness and wellbeing for their members and the broader community.

Judaism

Intellectual, physical, and spiritual faculties are considered gifts presented to each human. Striving to preserve the body is a measure of the esteem in which those gifts are held. Halakha—Jewish law—prohibits the smoking of tobacco products.

Islam

Islamic law (Fiqh) concerning the integrity of the individual proscribes all products and practices that jeopardize life or health. Because tobacco is harmful to health, its consumption is contrary to the spirit of Islam. In 2002, the two holy cities of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia were declared tobacco-free.

Buddhism

Buddhism teaches the path to enlightenment, freedom, and mental clarity. Freedom implies no dependence or addiction. Anything that harms the body or mind, one’s own or those of others, must be avoided.

Hinduism

Hinduism defines vyasana as a dependence unnecessary for the preservation of health. Vyasana— addiction—causes suffering and impedes attainment of a spiritual life. Tobacco use violates Hindu principles against causing harm to self and others.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)

Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith specifically proscribed tobacco consumption: “Tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man…” (Doctrine and Covenants 89:4, 8). The state of Utah—70 percent Mormon—has the lowest smoking prevalence and lung cancer rates in the United States.

Bahá’i Faith

The Tablet on Purity scriptures by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá condemns the use of tobacco and asks God to “Deliver [the people of Baha] from intoxicating drinks and tobacco, save them, rescue them…”

Sikhism

The Reht Maryada (Code of Conduct) strictly forbids tobacco use, one of the four cardinal transgressions, or Kurahits.

MPOWER logo

Monitor tobacco use and prevention policies
Protect people from tobacco smoke
Offer help to quit tobacco use
Warn about the dangers of tobacco
Enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
Raise taxes on tobacco

Building on the first-ever global public health treaty - the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) - the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2008 issued a comprehensive country-level report on the global tobacco epidemic. This report provides data from 179 countries covering 99% of the world’s population and sets baselines for implementation and enforcement of the six evidence-based and cost-effective policies of the WHO MPOWER strategy. Currently only 5% of the world’s population is fully protected by any one of the MPOWER interventions and no country implements and enforces all of them. By taking action to implement MPOWER, the leaders of governments and civil society can create the necessary environment to protect children from tobacco, help people quit tobacco use and save millions of lives a year.

The final version of the online Tobacco Atlas will have information on MPOWER steps related to the issues portrayed on each map.