Executive summary Scientific evidence has firmly established that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS), a pollutant that causes serious illnesses in adults and children. There is also indisputable evidence that implementing 100% smoke-free environments is the only...

The past ten years have witnessed a major turnabout in government policy on tobacco control in South Africa. Within a relatively short time, government policy has changed from complete apathy to one where the tobacco control measures are regarded as some of the most pro-gressive in the world....

In England (as in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a whole) smoking prevalence in adults (aged 16 and over) has been falling in both men and women since the 1970s (1). During the 1990s, however, this decline levelled off, as the diagram below illustrates. Currently, in...

A large body of evidence demonstrates that tobacco companies use a wide range of tactics to interfere with tobacco control. Such strategies include direct and indirect political lobbying and campaign contributions, financing of research, attempting to affect the course of regulatory and policy...

Introduction Tobacco use is the leading cause of death and disease in Australia. Each year nearly 20 000 Australians die and more than 150 000 are hospitalized due to tobacco-related illnesses (1). The economic and social costs of tobacco use in Australia are estimated at $AU 12,736.2 million...

At the beginning of 1998 New Zealand lacked tobac-co dependence treatments. Only a small amount of Government funding was committed to smoking cessation programmes and it was difficult for many people to find help in quitting. Most of the cessation programmes availa-ble were offered by the...

The European Strategy for Tobacco Control (ESTC) reflects the increased political commitment to, and public health expectations of, tobacco control in WHO’s European Region. It was adopted by the WHO Regional Committee for Europe at its fifty-second session in September 2002 and provides...

Jordan: Mass Media Campaign Combating Smoking Requires Serious Commitment and Not Just Words Introduction Tobacco use is a growing problem in Jordan, a developing country with a population of 5.3 million (1). Each year, cardiovascular diseases are responsible for about 42% of all deaths in...

The European tobacco control report describes the tobacco control situation and the status of tobacco control policies in the WHO European Region as at late 2006; reviews progress following the adoption of the European Strategy for Tobacco Control (ESTC) in 2002; and establishes a baseline for...

Canada’s Tobacco Package Label or Warning System: “Telling the Truth†about Tobacco Product Risks. The Need for an Effective Package-Based Label System. The World Health Organization’s draft Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) will be presented to the World...