WHO Celebrates 15 Years of Progress on Tobacco Control

In its ninth report on the global tobacco epidemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes the significant progress made in tobacco control since 2008 and praises Mexico's efforts to promote a smoke free environment.

“This ninth WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic demonstrates the remarkable progress of many countries in adopting health-promoting policies and reducing tobacco use,” writes Rüdiger Krech, Director of the Department of Health Promotion, WHO.

The report commemorates 15 years of implementing the MPOWER technical package, which has been instrumental in advancing the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control's measures. The MPOWER package encompasses essential strategies such as monitoring tobacco use, protecting people from tobacco smoke, offering help to quit tobacco use, warning about the dangers of tobacco, enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship and raising taxes on tobacco products.

Over the 15-year period since monitoring MPOWER progress began, almost 2 billion people have been protected by laws mandating 100% smoke-free environments, says the WHO. The report highlights the efforts made by various countries to implement the MPOWER technical package. Seventy-four countries are now covered by comprehensive smoke-free measures, making significant strides in protecting public health from the harms of tobacco smoke.

Among the 101 countries covered by at least two MPOWER measures, eight of them including Mexico, have achieved the highest level of performance in four measures. Mexico and the Netherlands also improved their laws by disallowing designated smoking rooms (DSRs) in all previously allowed venues. 

While progress has been made in Mexico, challenges persist. Mexico’s Fourteenth Collegiate Administrative Court in the First Circuit recently granted CANIRAC, a restaurant association, the definitive suspension of a decree that reformed the General Law for Tobacco Control. This suspension will stop the application of this law in restaurants affiliated with CANIRAC, as reported by MBN. 

Global progress is also being undermined by the tobacco industry’s aggressive promotion of E-cigarettes as a safer alternative to cigarettes, explains Tedros Adhamon, Director General, WHO, in the report. “E-cigarettes are harmful to both the people using them and those around them, especially when used indoors,” he writes. 

In October 2022, COFEPRIS found the vape market to be riddled with toxic substances and pose a threat to public health. “These devices were created under the pretense that they could be useful to deal with tobacco addiction. Nevertheless, their sole purpose is to drive further addiction, mainly among teenagers and young people, to create bigger markets to the detriment of public health,” says Alex Svarch, Federal Commissioner, COFEPRIS.