Statement of Matthew L. Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
WASHINGTON,
D.C. – With the signing last week of a presidential decree in Paraguay
banning smoking and e-cigarette use in indoor public places and crowded
outdoor spaces, South American countries
have achieved a dramatic landmark in public health: The citizens of
every South American country are now protected from the dangers of
secondhand smoke, making it the first multi-nation continent to achieve
this benchmark. With this policy, Paraguay has joined
the rest of South America in protecting its citizens’ health and right
to breathe clean, smoke-free air, setting a powerful example for the
entire world.
All
citizens of South American countries, around 430 million people
altogether, are now protected by laws requiring smoke-free public places
and workplaces. These laws also ban designated smoking
areas – a common loophole that weakens smoke-free protections and is often promoted by the tobacco industry.
This
stunning progress is the result of years of commitment and action from
political leaders and civil society groups in South American countries
working to fulfill their obligations under the
World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO
FCTC), the global tobacco control treaty. 2020 marked the 15th anniversary of the FCTC. When the FCTC first came into force, only one country in South America, Uruguay, provided
its citizens with broad, effective protection against secondhand smoke.
Comprehensive smoke-free laws have proven to
be popular with the public, quickly improve health,
and do not harm business. The scientific evidence is clear
that the only effective way to protect workers and the public from
secondhand smoke is to implement comprehensive smoke-free environments
that apply to all workplaces and public places,
including restaurants, bars and other hospitality venues.
As
tobacco companies aggressively fight proven policies to reduce tobacco
use and seek to rebrand themselves as concerned with health, even as
they
exploit the current pandemic to market their harmful and addictive products,
it is critical
that governments and health advocates keep up the fight to pass and
strongly implement the proven tobacco control measures mandated by the
WHO FCTC.
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