Tobacco Atlas Details Work and Impact of Big Tobacco
The newest tactics of the tobacco industry and their devastating impact on people around the world were highlighted this week with the release of The Tobacco Atlas.
Created by the American Cancer Society and the World Lung Foundation, the 4th edition of the Atlas details the scale of the tobacco epidemic and the work being done to stop it.
Among its many facts and compelling graphics:
- Tobacco profits of the six leading tobacco companies in 2010 was $35.1 billion. This is equal to the profits of Coca-Cola, Microsoft and McDonalds … combined.
- The tobacco industry earns nearly $6000 in profit from each tobacco related death.
- If Big Tobacco were a country, it would have a gross domestic product nearly equal to Poland, Saudi Arabia or Sweden.
- If trends continue, one person will die from tobacco use or exposure every six seconds this century.
People interested in learning more can view the Tobacco Atlas at its new interactive web site – www.tobaccoatlas.org.
Surgeon General Report Highlights Youth Smoking Problem in U.S.
A new report released by the U.S. Surgeon General has provided further evidence of the need for stronger tobacco control efforts in the country.
Amidst state legislature’s cuts in funding for tobacco control programs and their refusal to pass laws to help stem this epidemic of youth smoking, many of the gains that were made during the past decade are being lost.
According to the report:
After years of steady progress, declines in the use of tobacco by youth and young adults have slowed for cigarette smoking and stalled for smokeless tobacco use
Big Tobacco’s advertising and marketing programs continue to drive children to start smoking
Nearly all smokers try their first cigarette before they turn age 18
“This report highlights the urgent need to employ proven methods nationwide that prevent young people from smoking and encourage all smokers to quit, including passage of smoke-free laws, increases in tobacco excise taxes and fully funded tobacco prevention programs,” said John R. Seffrin, chief executive officer of the American Cancer Society and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN).
Tobacco kills more than 443,000 Americans each year, causes nearly 90 percent of lung cancer deaths, and is responsible for nearly one-third of all cancers. Tobacco-related illnesses are expensive and impact is not isolated to smokers alone.
In the United States each year, tobacco use costs an estimated $193 billion in direct and indirect healthcare costs. Meanwhile, the tobacco industry spends more than $10 billion a year – $29 million each day – to addict new, young smokers and keep current smokers hooked.
Let The Kids Smoke Cigars Instead?
Big Tobacco is at it again. It wasn’t long ago that ACS CAN volunteers helped score a major health victory when Congress passed a law granting the FDA the authority to regulate all tobacco products, including cigarettes and cigars.
Now, Big Tobacco is pushing Congress to exempt many types of cigars from the regulations. And, perhaps most worrisome, is that they’re succeeding.
More than 150 Members of Congress have cosponsored a bill that could allow tobacco companies to continue selling flavored cigars, which make them more attractive to children. The bill would also ban the FDA from requiring health-related warning labels on certain cigars.
Federal Judge Rules Against New Cigarette Warning Labels
A federal district court judge in Washington, DC sided with Big Tobacco when he ruled that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) could not implement its new cigarette warning labels. The new warning labels were to feature photos and drawings which depict the consequences of smoking and text, such as “Cigarettes Cause Cancer,” warning of the danger that comes with smoking.
“For decades, the tobacco industry has aggressively preyed upon the American public with misleading and fraudulent marketing practices, while the warning labels have not been changed in 25 years,” said Chris Hansen, president of ACS CAN.
“Larger, graphic warning labels have the potential to encourage adults to quit smoking cigarettes and deter children from starting in the first place. The ruling ignores the overwhelming, decades-long need for strong cigarette warning labels and allows Big Tobacco to proceed ’business as usual,’ continuing to promote its highly addictive and deadly products.”
Since the day the law was passed, cigarette companies have been looking for ways to block or delay the law’s implementation. This lawsuit by Big Tobacco was another step in that process. They filed a similar lawsuit in 2010, but in that case the U.S. District Court judge in Kentucky ruled against Big Tobacco.
ACS CAN continues to work diligently for the law’s effective implementation to protect consumers and children from the tobacco industry’s addictive and deadly products.
You can learn more about our ongoing campaign at www.acscan.org/protectkids.
Orange Bowl Cancels Cigar Sponsorship Following Pressure From ACS CAN & Partners
Following a joint letter, ACS CAN and its partners were successful in pressuring the Orange Bowl and NCAA to cancel a sponsorship agreement with Camacho Cigars. This sponsorship would have encouraged teenagers, especially young men, to smoke. This was the latest attempt by the tobacco industry to undermine current law banning cigarette and smokeless tobacco brand sponsorships of sporting events. ACS CAN continues to urge the FDA to use its authority to extend the sponsorship ban to cigar sponsorships of sporting events.
