“Tobacco industry has blood on its hands” : WHO

“The tobacco industry has blood on its hands and it targets young people,” said WHO representative to India Roderico H. Ofrin on Friday.

In his address on World No Tobacco Day in Delhi, he emphasized the industry’s harmful practices. “The tobacco industry has blood on its hands. It designs and sells products that kill half of its users prematurely. And that’s why they have to keep recruiting new users. And that, sadly, is the youth. You have to start them young so that they can earn more because eventually, they’ll stop if they get sick.”

Ofrin highlighted a WHO report titled ‘Hooking the Next Generation,’ which details how the tobacco and nicotine industry designs products to look like gadgets or toys and implements pervasive marketing campaigns. “A new report by WHO and partners called ‘Hooking the Next Generation,’ highlights how the tobacco and nicotine industry designs products that look like gadgets or toys, implements marketing campaigns using platforms like Netflix and Amazon, and shapes policy environments to addict the world’s youth by sponsoring sports events,” he said.

Referring to the latest Global Youth Tobacco Survey 2019 from India, Ofrin expressed concern, noting, “Tobacco prevalence is 8.4 percent among 13 to 15-year-old school children.” He also reported that 11.4 percent of children start smoking cigarettes before the age of 7, and 24 percent use smokeless tobacco products like hookah and Zabut, demonstrating the effectiveness of the tobacco industry’s strategy of targeting young children.

Ofrin underscored the industry’s use of knowledge about addiction, social marketing, and advertising. “The science that we know about addictiveness, social marketing, ads, is being used by the tobacco industry so efficiently. The World No Tobacco Day 2024 theme of protecting children from tobacco industry interference is not just a call to action, but a critical imperative for protecting future generations,” he said.

“We must join hands to shield young people from manipulative practices by sensitizing the public about the tobacco industry’s tactics to create new markets and protect tobacco control policies from industry influence,” he added.

Ofrin commended India’s efforts to counter the tobacco industry’s tactics. “India is a global leader in regulating tobacco depiction on ODP platforms and enacting the prohibition of electronic cigarettes, a measure adopted in 2019. These are phenomenal achievements, and we should hold on to that. However, we must not forget the industry is always on the prowl and trying to find a way,” he said.

He concluded his address with a call to action, stating, “We must act together now to expose the deception and protect the youth, and spread the message that is smart, don’t start.”