In Jordan, tobacco spending exceeds food spending
November 10, 2022
Par: National Committee Against Smoking
Dernière mise à jour: November 10, 2022
Temps de lecture: 5 minutes
While the WHO calls for reducing tobacco plantations to preserve agricultural resources, the share of smoking in the household budget in Jordan is pointed out to be higher than that of certain food items.
"We need food, not tobacco", says the World Health Organization (WHO), which estimates the world is on the brink of a global food crisis. Climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic and the repercussions of the war in Ukraine are among the major causes of this strain on food production.
The WHO, however, believes that tobacco producers also have their share of responsibility in this crisis, by grabbing more and more arable land to convert it into tobacco plantations (4 million hectares in total), particularly in developing countries.[1]It is to raise awareness of this phenomenon that the WHO has placed World No Tobacco Day 2023 under the banner of returning land to food production, while recalling the weight of the tobacco industry in the destruction of the environment.
A very high prevalence of smoking
An illustration of this phenomenon of the primacy of tobacco over food is given with the case of Jordan, during a meeting organized on site by the WHO. In this country where tobacco consumption is particularly high, this budget exceeds, for households, that of certain food items[2]The average monthly budget allocated to tobacco is in fact 73.6 Jordanian dinars (JD), compared to 50 JD per month for meat and poultry, or 63 JD per month for fruits and vegetables.
Smoking prevalence in Jordan is one of the highest in the world, along with Indonesia. data of 2019 placed this prevalence at 42 % in the general population (18-69 years), including 66 % for men and 17 % for women. 15 % of men are also consumers of electronic cigarettes, which would bring to nearly 82 % the number of men using tobacco, a shisha (water pipe) or other nicotine products. So many indicators that announce a surge in non-communicable diseases in this country by 2030, while the region is expected to be the only one where an increase in tobacco consumption is expected in the coming years.
Although tobacco is very normalized In Jordan, its image remains quite negative among the population. Many adults seek to hide their smoking, including from their doctor or dentist. Teenage smokers also avoid the gaze of their parents, and are now turning to electronic cigarettes for the sake of discretion, in order to avoid the smell of tobacco.
Recent efforts in tobacco control, despite much industry interference
Tobacco industry interference is among the main causes of this high smoking prevalence. In 2021, Jordan ranked eighth in the world on this topic, due to the numerous collusions between several ministries and the tobacco industry. The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 had given rise to intense corporate social responsibility (CSR) activity by the tobacco industry, which had directly financed a public fund for the most deprived. During this period, Jordan also hosted, in a tax-free zone, a tobacco product factory project for export led by British American Tobacco (BAT) and the Yemeni government.[3]In 2020, the Minister of the Environment also awarded an award to Japan Tobacco International (JTI) for reducing its CO2 emissions and environmental impact.[4].
Things seem to be changing, however, especially since the appointment of Dr. Feras Hawari as Minister of Health in March 2021. Among the efforts undertaken, Jordan became the fourth country in the Middle East region to have a comprehensive smoking cessation program in 2020. It also adopted a ban on smoking in enclosed public places, as well as a ban on advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products. Both bans were extended to hookahs in 2022, products for which these measures had been temporarily taken in 2020.[5]For these efforts, Jordan was recognized with an award by the WHO on World No Tobacco Day 2022. However, much remains to be done to bring the country into greater compliance with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), particularly in terms of protection from tobacco industry interference.
Keywords: WHO, World No Tobacco Day, Jordan, interference
M.F.
[1] We need food, not tobacco – focus of World No Tobacco Day 2023, WHO, published November 7, 2022, accessed November 8, 2022.[2] Jordanians spend more on tobacco than food, says WHO, The Jordan Times, published November 6, 2022, accessed November 8, 2022.[3] STOP, Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2021- Jordan, 2021.[4] FCA, Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2021 – Jordan, 2021.[5] WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic 2021: addressing new and emerging products. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2021.National Committee Against Smoking |
