Tobacco firms in Thailand contributing to global food crisis, says WHO
The spotlight has shifted from smokers to farmers for this year’s "World No Tobacco Day" (today, May 31) – with the slogan “We need food, not tobacco”.
Giant tobacco companies operating in Thailand and the rest of the region remain firmly in the crosshairs of the World Health Organisation, however.
WHO said it will expose how the tobacco industry contributes to the global food crisis by “interfering with attempts to substitute tobacco growing with sustainable crops”.
“Tobacco cultivation contributes to increased food insecurity worldwide. Across the globe around 3.5 million hectares of land are converted for tobacco growing each year,” said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO regional director for Southeast Asia. Singh noted that tobacco is grown in Thailand and Myanmar, adding that the industry often touts itself as an advocate for tobacco farmers’ livelihoods while using them as front groups to rally against tobacco control.
“This is a far cry from the truth. Instead, the intensive handling of insecticides and toxic chemicals during the cultivation of tobacco contributes to many farmers and their families suffering from ill health,” she said.
The WHO estimates that smoking kills 8 million people per year.
Health authorities in Thailand are highlighting the damage that tobacco addiction does to both smokers and those around them.
Dr Sarayut Boonchaipanichwattana, director of the Princess Mother National Institute on Drug Abuse Treatment (PMNIDAT), said smoking is a significant cause of emphysema, lung cancer, bladder cancer, heart and vascular diseases, and sexual dysfunction. PMNIDAT has organised World No Tobacco Week to raise awareness and encourage individuals, including healthcare professionals, to acknowledge the dangers of smoking and strive for reduction or cessation of the habit. The institute is also offering counselling to help people quit.
Meanwhile the Public Health Ministry’s Medical Services Department (MSD) is targeting e-cigarettes, which have become popular in Thailand over the past decade.
MSD deputy director-general Dr Manus Phothaporn warned that misinformation circulating online suggests e-cigarettes can help smokers quit and are less harmful than traditional cigarettes. But both e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes contain nicotine, a substance that causes addiction in the same way as heroin or methamphetamine, he said.
"E-cigs also contain flavouring that make them appealing and more addictive," he added.
"Smoking e-cigarettes does not help individuals quit smoking; instead, they transition from smoking traditional cigarettes to e-cigarettes," Manus said.
"Experiments show that mice that inhaled e-cig vapour developed inflammatory and transformative changes in their airways, similar to those observed in mice exposed to regular cigarette smoke, indicating early-stage effects seen in emphysema," Manus said.
“World No Tobacco Day serves as a reminder for individuals to prioritise their health and make informed decisions regarding their smoking habits," he added.
