Colombia has one million fewer smokers, the lowest figure ever achieved in the country

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Between 2016 and 2021, the percentage of smokers or prevalence dropped from 8.3% to 5.6%, so now Colombia has one million fewer smokers. That is the lowest figure recorded so far in the country, something that, according to the Colombian Health Ministry (Minsalud), says in a statement in conjunction with the Pan American Health Organization, responds to the implementation of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Colombia.

With this Convention, the country progresses toward the Sustainable Development Goals projected for 2030. The WHO has warned that the tobacco industry is a threat to the sustainable development of nations.

More than 34,000 deaths are attributed to tobacco consumption in Colombia every year. This industry generates around 5 billion cigarette butts that later become toxic solid waste and pollute about 5 billion liters of water.

According to calculations by the Anáas Foundation and Proesa, reducing smoking in Colombia has prevented 500,000 premature deaths attributable to tobacco consumption and will save more than COP 3 trillion (US$742 million) annually in the coming decades. The environmental impact of the last four years is also included in the calculations: the reduction in smoking has prevented more than two billion cigarette butts from becoming toxic waste.

In 2008, there were 24% of young smokers in the country, while in 2016, the percentage was already at 7.8%, a trend that has continued to this day. Another measure attributed to the decrease in smokers is that in 2016, the cigarette tax tripled after 30 years of maintaining a low tax. This initiative reduced consumption among young people and the most economically vulnerable populations.

In 2017, Colombia was chosen in cooperation with 15 countries to develop the FCTC 2030 project. It is an initiative with which the United Kingdom, Norway, and Australia wanted to support the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Since the implementation of the project in the country, four axes have been prioritized: the implementation of the National Tobacco Cessation Program; the inspection, surveillance, and sanitary control of Law 1335 of 2009 (which prohibits the sale of tobacco to minors) at the territorial level; and high-level intersectoral coordination for tobacco control and the preparation of technical and scientific documents as a guide to developing the respective public policies. With these initiatives, the number of smokers has been reduced by one million.

Although these actions have helped to reduce tobacco consumption, the country still faces the following challenges, as explained in the press release by Minsalud and the Pan American Health Organization:

• Tripling the excise tax on tobacco products. Even today, tobacco in Colombia is still priced below the average for the region.
• Implement standardized labeling and increase the size of health warnings on all tobacco product packaging to at least 70% of the surface area, and also include warnings on the packaging of other products containing nicotine and other toxic substances.
• Maintain the capacity building of territorial health authorities in inspection, surveillance, and control, to contribute to the enforcement of 100% smoke-free environments, the prohibition of advertising, promotion, and sponsorship, the prohibition of cigarette sales to minors and retailers, the verification of labeling and packaging requirements, and the control of illicit trade.
• Regulate new and emerging products (known by various names such as electronic cigarettes or vapers) as substitutes or imitators of tobacco products.
• Give continuity to the National Tobacco Cessation Program and expand the scope of interventions in the health system.

A report prepared by the WHO and the United Nations Development Program estimates that tobacco control could save 154,450 lives by 2033 and would allow the country to save COP 58 billion in economic losses and save COP 22 billion by avoiding health expenses attributed to tobacco.

With information from El Espectador