State & Local Governments Must Plan to End Tobacco Sales

ASH joins 148 organizations, cancer centers, and schools of public health from around the world in this urgent appeal, as reported in The Washington Post

News provided by

Action on Smoking and Health

May 24, 2021, 10:34 ET

SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today may be the beginning of the end of combustible tobacco sales, as organizations from around the world call on governments to do just that. Many other products have been removed from store shelves for causing far less harm than tobacco. The tobacco industry has been given a free pass for far too long: consumer goods shouldn't kill consumers.

Click here to read our sign on letter with 148 organizations from 27 countries calling for governments to begin their plans to phase out the sale of combustible tobacco>

Click here to read The Washington Post's coverage>

Click here to tweet about the world #AfterTobacco>

In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced their intention to ban menthol in cigarettes. But the FDA is explicitly barred from banning the sale of all cigarettes. So, it's up to state and local governments to follow the lead of Beverly Hills and Manhattan Beach, CA and begin phasing out the sale of tobacco products.

"For decades, tobacco companies have falsely claimed they'd stop selling cigarettes if proven deadly," said ASH Executive Director Laurent Huber. "Clearly, they didn't mean it, and will continue as long as it is profitable. It's up to governments to protect their citizens from tobacco products and from the tobacco industry by planning to phase out the sale of combustible tobacco."

Combustible cigarettes are the only consumer good that kills when used exactly as intended. Other products require over-use or misuse to cause damage.

There has already been progress in the Philippines, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and the United States (especially in California), as well as in several European nations. Read more on the momentum here>

The joint letter released today is the result of an ever-growing network of researchers and advocates who agree that it cannot be normal for a retail product to kill its consumers. Action on Smoking and Health (ASH US) and several other key partners host this community under the umbrella program named Project Sunset, which seeks to set the sun on big tobacco.

"At what age would you want your child to start smoking cigarettes?" asked Micah Berman, JD, Associate Professor of Public Health and Law, Ohio State University. "The vast majority of people around the world—very much including people who currently smoke—want the next generation to live in a world free from the death and devastation caused by cigarette smoking. It's long past time for our policy discussions to reflect that shared goal."

The tobacco pandemic death toll rivals that of the COVID-19 pandemic, with one substantial difference: the tobacco pandemic reaches that death toll every year, not just once in a lifetime. It's time for governments to act.

ASH > https://ash.org

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SOURCE Action on Smoking and Health