Eradicating smoking requires eliminating the smoking industry

An article published in the journal Tobacco Control considers that the eradication of smoking is an urgent and achievable goal, provided that it is considered that it passes first and foremost by the elimination of the tobacco industry, described as the principal pathogenic agent of the tobacco epidemic responsible for eight million annual deaths in the world.[1].

Tobacco sector, main pathogen of an industrial epidemic

In epidemiological terms, eradication refers to the elimination of a disease or epidemic until the pathogen disappears. From this point of view, since tobacco is considered an industrial epidemic, the tobacco industry can be considered a pathogen of human origin, the elimination of which is necessary to achieve tobacco eradication. Another conception of the problem suggests that certain tobacco products are the main pathogens, starting with cigarettes. However, such a product-centred approach, generally promoted by the tobacco industry, allows the latter to position itself as a legitimate actor able to propose credible solutions to the health problem posed, through the development of alternatives, whether cigarette filters, "light" cigarettes or heated tobacco. Beyond the fact that these new generations of products do not result in a reduction in their harmfulness, positioning the tobacco product rather than its manufacturer as the main pathogenic agent eludes the systemic responsibility of the tobacco industry in the spread and maintenance of tobacco addiction, and in the health, environmental, economic and social damage that results. In other words, the questioning of the causes of smoking must imperatively seek to determine the structural factors, that is to say the social, cultural, but also commercial determinants of health, rather than considering smoking through the prism of individual responsibility,

Industrialization of tobacco and colonization in Australia: health damage still perceptible

In Australia, the eradication of smoking is consistent with the objectives of a reconquest of sovereignty by indigenous populations. Indeed, the colonization of Australia by Europeans resulted in the industrialization of tobacco, the latter going from a sacred plant to a large-scale plantation crop, leading to mass production of a modified product aimed in particular at increasing its addictiveness. Beyond emptying the original spiritual and cultural meaning of the tobacco plant, colonization and industrialization have multiplied the health damage among the indigenous population. Even today, indigenous populations are characterized by higher levels of smoking than the national average. However, a recent study shows strong support from the latter, particularly the Maori, for stricter regulation of smoking and the tobacco industry.

Eradicating smoking is an achievable goal

Despite the tobacco industry's virulent opposition to the implementation of public health policies, the authors believe that the eradication of smoking, including internationally, is an achievable goal. The pioneering and "ice-breaking" role of certain countries is essential in this respect, to demonstrate that the establishment of provisions protecting public health is feasible, particularly from a legal point of view. Thus, the promulgation of the ban on advertising for tobacco products in 1973 by Norway subsequently resulted in a chain effect throughout the world, just as, more recently, the adoption of plain packaging in Australia in 2012 set a precedent for many jurisdictions, particularly in France. Several measures are presented by the authors as being able to contribute to the eradication of smoking:

• A strong and continued increase in tobacco taxation, and an allocation of tax revenues to public health policies;
• A reduction in the number of retail outlets for tobacco and nicotine products;
• A strengthening of the regulation of tobacco and nicotine products, including a significant reduction in their nicotine content;
• The introduction of a gradual ban on the sale of tobacco, starting one generation;
• The use of criminal legal actions against the tobacco industry, its directors and board members, responsible for the damage caused by their activity;
• The denormalization of the tobacco industry among economic players, which could notably result in a delisting, and the exclusion of the tobacco industry from certain investments (ethical, environmental, etc.);
• The dissolution and dismantling of the tobacco industry can finally be considered based on the legal feasibility of each country. The authors also highlight the possibility of transferring the production, distribution and sale of tobacco to a non-profit government entity, while putting in place strict safeguards to force a decrease in tobacco consumption.

©Tobacco Free Generation

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