Topic > Global Efforts to Reduce Tobacco Use

Widespread tobacco use globally has been an ongoing battle not only in the United States but in locations around the world. The consequences of smoking can include diseases and other damage to all organs of the human body. In the United States alone, tobacco smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year, including secondhand smoke. As for the world, it is estimated that the number of people affected exceeds 7 million per year. It's well known that tobacco can kill up to half of users, so these numbers aren't as crazy as they might seem. Most researchers believe that if it weren't for cigarettes, we would be winning the battle against cancer here in the United States. The majority of all cancers can be assumed to have been caused by tobacco in some way, whether direct or secondary exposure. Both types of exposure can have a serious negative impact on the human body, regardless of whether the individual is a user or a spectator. Although it appears that the overall consumption of tobacco products is decreasing slightly with the use of new policies that reduce the supply and demand of such products as a whole, the future is still uncertain as such numbers always tend to fluctuate. Whether we choose to admit it or not, tobacco use is a serious global health issue that should not be taken lightly considering the consequences that come with it. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Tobacco is a rural crop, recognized as a key ingredient in making cigarettes. It is developed everywhere around the world and plays a significant role in a billion-dollar industry. Whether we choose to admit it as a population or not, the number of users attracted by these products is certainly too high. The main ingredient in tobacco is a stimulant, known as nicotine. Nicotine is a very dangerous chemical that should not be taken lightly. It is also known to be highly addictive, which is directly related to the large number of customers who purchase these products on a daily basis. Tobacco products tend to have many negative effects on more than half the percentage of its uses. It can trigger disorders within the human body in many ways, including conditions such as high blood pressure. High blood pressure can put a strain on the body's arteries and heart. This can even become so severe that it causes even more serious conditions such as a stroke or heart attack. Another serious condition that could be a result of tobacco use is vasoconstriction. This is a well-known condition that involves constriction of blood transmissions throughout the body decreasing the space in which blood can flow. As blood flow decreases, the body will retain heat causing discomfort and disturbances with other organs. If these two reasons alone aren't enough to make individuals think twice about becoming another statistic on the downward spiral of tobacco use, there's more. Users around the world who take part in these activities are not only putting their internal organs at risk and perhaps giving more ammunition to the battle against cancer, but they are also weakening their senses. At a very young age, we as people are thought to have five senses. They are sight, touch, smell, taste and hearing. These senses play an important role in our daily lives and we depend on them more than anything else in the world. Tobacco use weakens them all, whether you realize it or not. Nicotine is the main culprit in this situation. The chemical substance thatIt's addictive, it wreaks havoc in your brain and triggers a feeling of calm, as well as making you think you need to hold on to this feeling as long as possible. This normally results in increased dependency which contributes to the downward spiral leading to disease. The market for tobacco products not only in the United States but throughout the world is one of the biggest problems for the plan to reduce tobacco consumption. “The tobacco market consists of the retail sale of cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos, smokeless tobacco and smoking tobacco.” The variety of products is what intrigues the public and consumers. Worldwide, the market attracts individuals of all ages and genders. Before new rules and policies regarding who was legally allowed to purchase these products, young people tended to be some of the largest consumers. Generally, this market attracts many 18 year olds across the world, however, the age limit to purchase these products has increased to 21 years and above in the United States. In fact, studies show that increasing age will significantly reduce the number of young adults who smoke even in old age. Before these new policies, I believe that teenagers who purchased these products at age 18 were demonstrating their early stage of adulthood. Unfortunately, this act could easily have more downsides than upsides in their lives, whether they realize it or not. Tobacco use is a major global disease and an inevitable cause of illness, death and disability. In many countries, smoking is often called the silent killer. The probability of being negatively affected is high and is not in favor of long-term smokers who will not suffer from the inevitable effects of smoking. It's a real shame, but these are the problems that can happen. It is taken lightly because of the consequences that follow. From a statistical perspective, more than 70% of the billions of smokers worldwide come from low- or middle-income homes. This only increases the hardship of those families by taking money out of their pockets and making it even more difficult to reduce health care costs. Due to the large amount of problems that have surfaced around the world, many organizations are starting to take action to help alleviate problems related to tobacco use. The World Bank Group's Global Tobacco Control Program helps nations structure policies and expand tobacco taxes to achieve overall health goals by increasing costs, decreasing smoking and preventing young adults from participating. Equity is also strengthened by the reduction of tobacco-related health risks and also by high out-of-pocket expenses among lower-income population groups. The Global Tobacco Control Program aims to reduce the consumption of these products by taking an economic approach to the issue. Raising taxes on these products is an important step in the right direction because it forces citizens to make a more difficult decision based on the amount of income they are dealing with. This is actually a good thing for those who are anti-smoking due to the large number of consumers from low to middle income families who spend much of their money on these products. By helping countries create these reforms, this program will be very helpful when reaching the ultimate goal of decreasing tobacco users worldwide. Another application with a very similar goal and mindset would be the Global Tobacco Surveillance System Data. It is an "application that monitors and displays data from four tobacco-related surveys conducted around the world." As part of these surveysassociations can better understand which part of the population is driven towards these products. This application uses databases, national reports, fact sheets and various publications to obtain and review the information needed to report to higher organizations. Another convention with a similar objective would be the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. “The pre-eminent Global Tobacco Control Instrument, containing legally binding obligations for its Parties, lays the foundation for reducing both the demand and supply of tobacco products and providing global direction for tobacco control policy at all levels ”. Similar to the World Bank Group's Global Tobacco Control program, this tool is used to assist countries in developing strategies to reduce high levels of use. The Institute of Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention propose that state tobacco control programs could well be considered health investments. “The claims are further supported by recent research in which researchers were able to quantify the link between comprehensive tobacco control programs and a decrease in smoking in adults – observing a decline in prevalence from 29.5% in 1985 to 18.6% in 2003”. The U.S. National Tobacco Control Program focuses on national efforts to reduce tobacco-related diseases. It focuses on three main points which include elimination of exposure, elimination of secondhand smoke and prevention. When it comes to decreasing tobacco consumption in a global perspective or manner, it is necessary to understand the two types of interventions needed for the whole process to work. The first would be interventions on the demand side. Demand-side interventions, such as price increases, advertising and promotion bans, and smoking restrictions, are effective in reducing mortality and morbidity attributable to tobacco. The objective of these interventions is quite obvious. Make it more difficult for the consumer to obtain these products to reduce the negative impact. For example, tax reforms to increase tariffs on these products would constitute a demand-side intervention. Another example would be the United States raising the age limits for purchasing these products. Another example would be “the effect of the tobacco price support program on cigarette consumption in the United States.” The results estimated that the tobacco price support program increased the price of tobacco leaves by 36 cents per pound. This tobacco price increase translates into a one cent increase in the price of a pack of cigarettes and an estimated 0.21% reduction in cigarette consumption.” Demand-side interventions tend to have the greatest impact because of how much they can influence consumers. The other type of intervention that plays a role in decreasing tobacco consumption would be supply-side intervention. “While interventions to reduce tobacco demand are likely to be successful, measures to reduce tobacco supply are less promising.” It's unfortunate but, at the same time, it's simply true because there will always be an incentive for a supplier to enter the market if one is shut down. Hypothetically speaking, if the largest tobacco industry in the world somehow closed down, then there would be a line of startup industries around the world lining up to take its place. The same problems arise on the agricultural side. The incentives for growing tobacco alone are already much higher than any other crop in the world due to high usage/.