Tobacco control: A fight for public opinion

The struggle to control tobacco has evolved into some kind of “fight for public opinion.” This is how an expert from Paraguay put it: “In order to excel in such a confrontation, the party that strikes home most its message carries the day.”

The measures being taken into account would serve as a direct counter to the effect of packaging and labelling, which constitute an important element of advertising and promotion. Tobacco pack or product features are used in many ways to attract consumers, promote products, and cultivate and promote brand identity. The above statement explains why health warnings on tobacco packs have taken a center stage in the ongoing discussions in Durban.

For years, the tobacco industry has been able to stifle information, influencing inaction among legislators the world over to ensure that the real image of the ruthlessness of tobacco is misrepresented.

While bribery and corruption on the part of shady politicians have played a part in this situation, a great many lawmakers are still not conversant with the actual deadly effects of tobacco. In the words of a Zambian professor:

“Part of the problems we are faced with is the chronic level of uneducated politicians who blatantly refuse to listen to us; they do not have the patience to look at the statistics, they are not willing to listen.”

The professor’s argument is that the situation with tobacco is such that nations stand to save much more money in the absence of tobacco revenue. “We are better off without tobacco,” he argued.