World No Tobacco Day 2015: Curbing illicit tobacco trade

As the world observes World No Tobacco Day 2015 on this very day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) states – about 6.0 million people die each year due to active tobacco consumption, including ex-smokers. Additionally, 600,000 non-smokers die due to passive smoking. More than half of tobacco users die of tobacco-related diseases.  The death toll is about 685 persons an hour and 11.5 persons a minute. The data works as a warning sign which points to the effects of tobacco use around the world. WHO warns the annual death toll could rise to more than 8.0 million by 2030, unless actions are taken urgently. Around 80 per cent of tobacco users are currently living in the low- and middle-income countries, like Bangladesh, and about 70 per cent of tobacco-related deaths are taking place in those parts of the world.
As far as Bangladesh is concerned, according to WHO, consumption of tobacco was responsible for the death of 57 thousand people in 2004. In the same year, tobacco was responsible for the suffering of 1.2 million people from eight major non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as lung cancer, oral cancer, stroke, cardio-vascular disease, diabetes, asthma, etc.
Moreover, the rate of tobacco consumption in 2004 was 36.3 per cent, in contrast to the alarming rate of 43.3 per cent in recent times. So, the number of deaths has obviously increased by this time as the rate of tobacco consumption has also increased. An unofficial source says that almost 100,000 people have died due to tobacco and more than half million people have lost physical activeness since 2004.
Syed Mahbubul Alam, policy analyst,  tobacco control activist and advocate, says: “Tobacco cultivation and working inside tobacco factories may result to death, which we may not know as we do not have scientific study in this field.”
Meanwhile, Abu Naser Khan, environmentalist and chairman of Poribesh Bachao Andolon (POBA), states: “Tobacco undermines our constitutional and fundamental right to live. In order to save the lives of people and respect the constitutional rights of the people, we need to control tobacco strongly.”
Dr. Mostafa Zaman of WHO declares: “We also have an international responsibility to strictly control a harmful product like tobacco as Bangladesh has already signed and ratified the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Since WHO has developed Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, it is necessary to sign and enforce this protocol to eliminate illicit tobacco. Beyond the legal or international obligation, we also have moral obligation to save people from death caused by tobacco.”
Besides, WHO states that the tobacco industry attempts to undermine FCTC on other fronts, particularly with regard to countries’ attempts to ban smoking in enclosed public places, ban tobacco advertisement, promotion and sponsorship. Tobacco companies also promote illicit tobacco trade to avoid tax and undermine national law.
Indeed, enforcing the protocol will also be consistent with the letter and spirit of FCTC. The preamble of the treaty recognises “the need to be alert to any efforts by the tobacco industry to undermine or subvert tobacco control efforts and the need to be informed of activities of the tobacco industry that have a negative impact on tobacco control efforts”. Plus, Article 5.3 of the treaty states that “in setting and implementing their public health policies with respect to tobacco control, Parties shall act to protect these policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry in accordance with national law”.
At the international level, several governments are moving forward to defend strong tobacco control measures they put in place to comply with a global health treaty like WHO’s FCTC.
The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control sets out specific steps for governments addressing tobacco use, including:
* Adopting tax and price measures to reduce tobacco consumption;
* Banning tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship;
* Creating smoke-free work and public spaces;
* Putting prominent health warnings on tobacco packages;
* Combating illicit trade in tobacco products.
In fact, tobacco companies are violating the existing laws and conducting propaganda to increase tobacco addiction among the people. As a result, this particular addiction becomes a gateway to the consumption of illicit narcotics while these companies make their profit. The tobacco companies interfere aggressively and violate the national laws to sustain the proliferation of tobacco products. These actions conflict directly with the national interests, such as public health, environmental safety, poverty reduction and agricultural development and economic growth.
Still, point of sale advertisements can be found everywhere and smoking scenes are being shown in television, film and other media outlets. Additionally, graphic health warnings should take place on right time in accordance to the law. Government should take action against these violations. Mobile courts are needed to appropriately penalise the tobacco companies if national laws are violated.   
Enforcing high taxes on tobacco products is also one of the strong tools for successful tobacco control. When the governments increase tax on tobacco, this leads to the increase of revenue and the reduction of tobacco consumption among the population as well. Hopefully, the government of Bangladesh will take necessary steps to strictly control tobacco.
The writer is a journalist and  public health activist.
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