It has been twenty years since the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) came into force. Its widespread ratification by UN Member States and targeted tobacco control measures (e.g. smoke-free environments, cessation programs, taxation) have certainly set the stage for national policy to address the smoking epidemic.
But the fight against tobacco is far from won. In 2019 alone, tobacco use claimed +7 million lives and drained $1.4 trillion from the global economy. That same year, GSL embarked on the first quasi-experimental evaluation of this treaty’s impact on global cigarette consumption, analyzing data from 71 countries (using our international database on cigarette consumption).
Our findings reveal a stark contrast: In high-income countries (HICs), cigarette consumption continued its historical downward trends post-FCTC. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), however, consumption increased. In fact, the average adult in LMICs smoked 500 more cigarettes per year than predicted.
Faced with stricter regulations in HICs, many tobacco companies headquartered in cities like New York, London and Tokyo were incentivized to shift their lobbying and marketing efforts to LMICs where enforcement mechanisms are weaker.
At the Global Strategy Lab, we are committed to supporting the WHO in its efforts to strengthen the FCTC’s impact. To this end, our Global Legal Epidemiology program is currently conducting a gender-based analysis of both the treaty and global tobacco consumption behaviour patterns. This work is critical and urgent given that economic and social progress in LMICs has had virtually no impact on reducing female tobacco consumption.
In this era of mitigating the tobacco epidemic, region-specific and gender conscious policy analyses must be prioritized to promote more effective and equitable results, ensuring that the FCTC delivers on its promise to save lives worldwide.
Learn more about the work the Global Strategy Lab is doing on the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
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