Georgia's efforts to combat smoking

A video recently released by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe details the history of tobacco control in Georgia and how this small country in the Caucasus continues to lead the way toward a tobacco-free future with comprehensive and effective tobacco control regulations.[1]. WHO also recognized the efforts of Georgia's National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, which co-authored and championed the country's anti-smoking law, which came into effect on May 1, 2018, on World No Tobacco Day.[2].

Georgia is one of the countries involved in the WHO Framework Convention Secretariat's "FCTC 2030" project. As part of this project, funded by the United Kingdom, the Convention Secretariat provided technical assistance to Georgia to support the successful implementation of the new law. The country aims to reduce tobacco consumption among people aged 18 and over to 20,000 by 2030.

The weight of tobacco in Georgia

According to the latest data from 2017, Georgia has one of the highest smoking prevalence rates among European countries and the smoking prevalence is tending to increase. 33.7% of the Georgian adult population are current smokers. They were 30.3% in 2010. About 57% (55% in 2010) are men and 12.2% (4.8% in 2010) are women. Tobacco-related diseases thus cause the death of 11,400 Georgians each year, which is 22% of all adult deaths. In economic terms, the country loses about 2.4% of its gross domestic product each year due to smoking.

A series of new comprehensive measures that are beginning to show results

To address the devastating health and economic burden of the growing tobacco epidemic in the country, amendments to the 2003 tobacco control laws were adopted by the Georgian Parliament in 2017. This new legislation is now considered one of the most comprehensive tobacco control laws in the WHO European Region.[3].

The law introduced a series of new measures and significantly strengthened the implementation of the provisions of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). These include the development of smoke-free places, the introduction of plain packaging for tobacco products, and a ban on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship, including the removal of product displays at points of sale and a ban on the sale of tobacco products over the internet. It also strengthened the regulation of new tobacco and nicotine products by classifying vaping products containing nicotine as tobacco products.

According to Dr. Amiran Gamkrelidze, Director General of the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health, "The results of this new law were immediate. Within one or two years, the number of smokers decreased by 1 to 2 percent. There was a reduction in the number of hospital admissions of people suffering from strokes and heart attacks."

Keywords: Georgia, tobacco control, FCTC, WHO

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[1] Regional Office for Europe - World Health Organization, The uphill battle: the story of Georgia's fight for a tobacco-free future, May 30, 2022, accessed May 31, 2022

[2] Regional Office for Europe - World Health Organization, World No Tobacco Day 2022: Tobacco Control Award Winners in the WHO European Region, May 30, 2022, accessed May 31, 2022

[3] Regional Office for Europe - World Health Organization, New Cigarette and Tobacco Law Comes into Force in Georgia, May 1, 2018, accessed May 31, 2022