Tobacco use continues to be a primary contributor to the global burden of disease, causing an estimated 12% of deaths worldwide among people aged 30 and over, and remains a major global concern, killing over 8 million persons worldwide annually. *
On October 6, 2022, Dr. Eduardo Bianco, Director of International Policy Education in Addiction for the Addiction Training for Health Professionals (ATHP) program at the Ulrich and Ruth Frank Foundation for International Health (Frank Foundation), was a presenter and panelist at a webinar entitled ‘Americas Regional Tobacco Endgame.’ This webinar was co-hosted by PAHO, ASH – Action on Smoking and Health and Corporate Accountability and primarily targeted government officials and advocates in the Americas region. NGOs and Civil Society were also targeted by the webinar. The session was moderated by Laurent Huber, Executive Director at Action on Smoking and Health, and featured the following;
- Chris Bostic, Policy Director at Action on Smoking and Health
- Janet Hoek, Professor at the University of Otago and Co-Director of ASPIRE2025
- Hanna Ollila, Senior Specialist at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and Manager at the WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub on Tobacco Surveillance
- Dr. Eduardo Bianco, Director of International Policy Education in Addiction for the Addiction Training for Health Professionals (ATHP) program at the Ulrich and Ruth Frank Foundation for International Health (Frank Foundation)/Volunteer at ASH US
This very engaging session began with Chris Bostic, Policy Director at Action on Smoking and Health, providing an introduction and overview of where we are globally with the Tobacco Endgame. If you are wondering what the Tobacco Endgame Strategy is, it refers to “moving beyond a focus on tobacco control (and its assumptions that tobacco is here to stay and that regulating the time, place and manner of its use is the objective) toward a focus on a future free of commercial tobacco.” **
The dialogue continued with Janet Hoek, Professor at the University of Otago, Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand, and co-director of ASPIRE2025, providing context about how the tobacco endgame movement arose in Aotearoa New Zealand, and outlined current legislation proposing denicotinization (removing nicotine from cigarettes), large reductions in tobacco availability and a smoke-free generation. She critically assessed claims made by those opposed to endgame policies.
This was followed by a presentation by Hanna Ollila, Senior Specialist at the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) and Manager at the WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub on Tobacco Surveillance. Her presentation examined best practices to develop an effective and comprehensive tobacco endgame strategy – Joint Action on Tobacco Control 2, and outlined strategies for achieving a “Tobacco-Free Generation” in Europe.
Our Director of International Policy Education in Addiction, Dr. Eduardo Bianco, wrapped up the session with a presentation on ‘The Tobacco Endgame. Is it Possible in Latin America?’ He explored this notion by discussing the feasibility of (at least) one Latin American country implementing a tobacco endgame strategy and outlining steps that can make this a reality. He highlighted the need for raising awareness about Tobacco Endgame Strategies and asserted that Endgame strategies ARE POSSIBLE!
The presentations were followed by a panel discussion with some of the presenters, who were joined by two additional speakers: Reina Roa, representing the Health Ministry of the Government of Panama, and Adriana Bacelar Gomes, PAHO/WHO.
For more information about the Americas Regional Tobacco Endgame, you can find the recording of this webinar here:
Seema Persaud
Author
References
* US National Cancer Institute and World Health OrganizationThe Economics of Tobacco and Tobacco Control: National Cancer Institute Tobacco Control Monograph 21. US Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute and World Health Organization2016. NIH publication No. 16-CA-8029A
** California Department of Public Health, California Tobacco Control Program. 2017- 2021 local lead agency comprehensive tobacco control plan guidelines. 2017; https://otis.catcp.org/utilities/tcforFileFetch.cfm?docID=1104.
