Source: Lancet, The (UK)
Contact:  http://www.thelancet.com/
Pubdate: Sat, 06 Jun 1998
Author: Bruno Simini

PROTECT CHILDREN FROM TOBACCO ADDICTION, SAYS WHO

Despite many worldwide efforts to contain the ravages of tobacco, this
year's World No-Tobacco Day dawned on May 31 with little effective
anti-tobacco legislation implemented anywhere. This year's theme was
"Growing up without tobacco"; WHO is focusing on children since "250
million children and young people alive today will be prematurely killed by
tobacco unless tough action is taken now", according to Fernando Antezana,
deputy director-general.

WHO's ten points for tobacco control:
*  protect children from addiction
*  implement fiscal policies to discourage use
*  allocate portion of tobacco taxes to tobacco control and health promotion
*  implement health promotion, education, and smoking-cessation programmes
*  prevent involuntary exposure to passive smoke
* eliminate socioeconomic and other incentives that maintain and promote
tobacco use
*  eliminate all tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship
*  control tobacco products--eg, health warnings and mandatory reporting of
toxic constituents
*  promote economic alternatives to tobacco growing and cigarette manufacture
*  effectively manage, monitor, and evaluate tobacco issues

Tobacco dependence--classified as a behavioural disorder--is caused by
nicotine, and, according to David Kessler (US FDA), nicotine addiction "is
a paediatric disease". Tobacco use seldom starts after the age of 20, and
one-third to one-half of adolescents who "experiment with cigarettes"
become regular smokers, says WHO.

In addition to tobacco addiction in children, ill-effects include: low
birth-weight; sudden infant death; respiratory diseases and middle-ear
infections; waste of household money; and bereavement and poverty from loss
of a parent.

Tobacco-control efforts must therefore be concentrated on children. But
this is precisely the group that the tobacco industry skilfully recruits to
replace dead smokers--a fact the industry denies but which is verified by
its own documents and the vast investments involved. Furthermore, adults
who smoke--from family members to celebrities--also influence children,
especially adolescents; as does unrestricted public smoking and easy access
to inexpensive cigarettes.

As age at initiation of smoking declines and tobacco use among young people
rises in many countries, the war against the tobacco pandemic will only be
won in the halls of governments. Accordingly, WHO has recommended a
ten-point plan to legislators (panel). How many World No-Tobacco Days will
it take before nation leaders realise that tobacco is taking far too many
lives?

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Checked-by: (Joel W. Johnson)