An interesting post has been put up by Richard Abbott on the Campaign Middle East blog - we’re having The great tobacco debate there. I have provided a few reasons why publications should and do refuse to publish ads that encourage the fatal habit of smoking. Some of the most reputed publications in the world like The New York Times, Reader’s Digest, Business Week refuse tobacco advertising.

I am posting a few highlights here, in continuation of my blog posts on social responsibility. You are welcome to comment and share your insights.

What happens when we make and publish tobacco, cigarette and smoking ads?

Smoking kills more people than car accidents, alcohol, homicides, illegal drugs and suicides combined. The following is what we are doing when we create, design or publish ads promoting tobacco and smoking:

• Encouraging children or young adults to experiment with tobacco and thereby slip into regular use
• Encouraging smokers to increase consumption
• Reducing smokers’ motivation to quit
• Encouraging former smokers to resume
• Discouraging full and open discussion of the hazards of smoking as a result of media dependence on advertising revenues
• Muting opposition to controls on tobacco as a result of the dependence of organisations receiving sponsorship from tobacco companies
• Creating through the ubiquity of advertising, sponsorship, etc. an environment in which tobacco use is seen as familiar and acceptable and the warnings about its health are undermined.

[Based on the Surgeon Genera's report 'Reducing the health consequences of smoking: 25 years of progress' USDHHS, 1989 as published on ASH's website]

Everyday, around 4,000 children try a cigarette and take their first step towards becoming nicotine addicts. They tend to start off with the most advertised brands.

Does controlling tobacco advertising help?

A study commissioned by the New Zealand government across 33 countries over 16 years from during 1970 to 1986 demonstrated that the higher the degree of governmental control on tobacco advertising and sponsorship, the larger the annual reduction of tobacco consumption.

Further on this point, UK Department of Health’s Chief Economic Adviser reported a drop in tobacco consumption of between 4% and 16% in countries that had implemented a tobacco advertising ban.

So, curbs on tobacco advertising do work and that is the reason why many countries have already put them in place and more are starting to do so. Perhaps UAE will follow suit too, knowing its passion for keeping up with the highest standards of living being followed across the world.

Useful Links:
1. CDC’s Tobacco Infomation & Prevention Source (TIPS): Home Page, Fact Sheets
2. GLOBALink’s Answers to Pro-tobacco Advertising Arguments
3. Action on Smoking and Health (ASH): Effects of Tobacco Advertising & Promotion
4. Smokefree.gov – Online Guide to Quitting Smoking and Useful Downloads
5. Office of the Surgeon General: Homepage, Toxic Substances in Smoke, Dangers of Secondhand Smoke
6. Tobacco.org’s Tobacco Timeline: 21st Century Tobacco History 

farrukh

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