Focus on Slovenia, activist in the fight against tobacco

In 2017, civil society, political decision-makers and the media are mobilizing for the implementation of a more effective anti-smoking law in Slovenia in order to continue the fight against the high smoking rate and the interference of tobacco manufacturers: a beneficial approach to reduce the prevalence of smoking, particularly among young people.

State of smoking in Slovenia

Almost a quarter, or 24% of the adult population, are tobacco users. Slovenia currently has 427,000 smokers, and it is known that statistically half of these smokers will die from tobacco-related diseases. Currently in Slovenia, 3,600 people die prematurely from tobacco use each year, and 18% of adolescents report having started smoking at the age of 13. In addition, the National Institute of Public Health states that 20% of deaths among those over 30 are attributable to smoking.

These are all alarming facts that have led the Slovenian government to take strong measures to combat this high rate of avoidable mortality linked to non-communicable diseases (heart and lung diseases, cancers, diabetes). With these measures, the Slovenian authorities demonstrate their willingness to strengthen the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Strict policies to thwart tobacco industry machinations

The tobacco industry is stepping up efforts to counter anti-smoking policies. The Slovenian Parliament has unanimously adopted a ban on tobacco advertising and plain packaging. This legislative change, which will come into force in 2020, will notably:

• Preventing the initiation of smoking among young people and the resulting nicotine addiction;
• Limit the promotion and advertising of tobacco products which ensures their attractiveness;
• Prevent the design of packaging highlighting the supposed lesser harmfulness of certain products compared to cigarettes in order to divert consumers from quitting and keep them in a new addictive practice;
• Strengthen awareness and information on the causes and consequences of smoking;

Other measures, such as the excise tax on vaping products, have helped to limit the attractiveness of these alternative products to cigarettes, the usefulness of which should only lie in their potential aid in quitting smoking.

Even though smoking seems to be declining in some areas, civil society remains mobilized to change current legislation and thus thwart the tobacco industry's new tactics designed to ensure they have ever more consumers, because tobacco-related diseases continue to represent the greatest avoidable threat to public health.