Foreword
From John R. Seffrin, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, American Cancer Society
Tobacco alone is predicted to kill a billion people this century, 10 times the toll it took in the 20th century, if current trends hold. Of the approximately 650 million smokers alive today—10 percent of the current world population—one in two of those who continue to smoke will die of smoking-related diseases. An increasing proportion of those deaths will occur in low- and middle-income countries, which will be faced with the severe financial, social, and political consequences. There is no doubt that tobacco use and its health effects have created an epidemic on a global scale. Yet the extraordinary level of suffering and death from this epidemic is not inevitable. With comprehensive and concerted action, we can reduce or eliminate many of the dangers associated with tobacco, and in so doing, we can save hundreds of millions of lives. But in order to be successful in our fight against tobacco, we must know what this enemy looks like throughout the world. That’s why the information contained in The Tobacco Atlas is so crucial. Along with detailed tobacco statistics on nearly every country around the globe, this publication offers in-depth information on the prevalence of tobacco and health, the costs of tobacco, the tobacco trade throughout the world, how tobacco is promoted and marketed, and the tobacco control efforts already under way. The scope of this timely and compelling data means that this single resource can help advocates in every nation get the knowledge they need to combat the scourge of tobacco in their communities and on the worldwide stage. The Tobacco Atlas also provides a more intangible, but no less powerful, weapon in the fight against tobacco—hope. The significant updates and exciting developments chronicled in this publication prove that we are indeed making progress against tobacco and they pave the way for greater strides in the future.
Tobacco is a serious foe. But armed with comprehensive information like that found in this publication, we are better prepared to repel the industry’s relentless assault and move ever closer to a day when we can finally declare victory over tobacco.
From Peter Baldini, Executive Director, World Lung Foundation
Decades of research have shown that tobacco harms every person exposed to it and kills half of its regular users. We are only now, however, truly delving into how the epidemic systematically affects adults, children, workers and local economies. The research presented in The Tobacco Atlas, third edition, is unique in how it graphically depicts the depth and breadth of the problem.
Great care has been taken to frame this world-class research in a way that is accessible to you—the policy maker, the advocate, the journalist and the researcher. Common throughout is vivid evidence that the health burden is shifting from highincome countries to their low and middle-income counterparts. Among the many detailed and vibrant charts, you will see confirmation of the shocking increase in smoking among youth, the vast number of diseases caused by tobacco use, and the nefarious activities of the tobacco industry.
We are also pleased to present a new online version of The Tobacco Atlas, available at www.tobaccoatlas.org. There you will be able to interact with the data like never before to distil the information that is most relevant to you. Researchers will find direct access to the raw numbers and policy makers, advocates and media will find rich features and tools to bring their local and regional epidemics to light.
The evidence presented herein and online, however, must do more than clearly articulate the scope and dimensions of the problem. It should be applied actively to strengthen the case for policy change. The World Health Organization released in 2008 a comprehensive package of policy interventions, which provides a sustainable roadmap to reduce the number of deaths caused by tobacco use. Whereas The Tobacco Atlas vividly captures the problem, this proven set of interventions, called MPOWER, provides the solution.
In a comprehensive MPOWER report distributed to governments and leaders around the world, WHO established that only 5 percent of the world’s population live in countries that fully protect their population with any one of the key measures that reduce smoking rates. The report, available at www.who.int/tobacco/mpower, also found that tobacco taxes, the single most effective strategy, could be significantly increased in nearly all countries, providing a source of sustainable funding to implement and enforce the recommended MPOWER policies.
Great progress has been made since the last edition of The Tobacco Atlas but much more needs to be done. Use this new publication to stem and eventually reverse the most preventable public health crisis of our time.
