Pulmonologists call for heavy-handed action against tobacco companies

Pulmonologists believe that there is a political idea that tobacco is part of the economy, highlighting that various governments have protected the tobacco industry lobby and that anti-smoking measures are necessary.

“There is still a political idea that tobacco is part of the country’s economy and helps the country to develop and pay its bills, which is a fallacy. Tobacco helps the country to spend much more money than it can earn from tobacco, on health, on premature death, on lack of productivity,” specialist Hilson Cunha Filho told Lusa.

As part of World No Tobacco Day, which is celebrated this Saturday, the pulmonologist explained that Portugal must create “a normalization of a tobacco-free society”, making people aware that they cannot smoke in closed spaces and that they should seek help.

“Tobacco is not yet so expensive that people would think twice before spending part of their salary on it. All these measures will one day lead Portugal to have tobacco denormalized in society, to think that the normal thing for a Portuguese person is not to smoke,” stressed the professor from the University of Beira Interior.

Only then, he added, will citizens be more willing to agree to “more radical measures”, as is already the case, for example, in New Zealand, where the sale of tobacco to people born after 2008 is prohibited.

“But, as long as they give way to industry, its marketing and its lobbying power, it will be very difficult for us to achieve this trajectory, which is a joint trajectory involving all the forces in society,” he warned.

Hilson Cunha Filho also regretted the lack of review of the Tobacco Prevention and Control Program, stating that “it has not been relaunched, it is at a standstill, it is in a coma”.

In turn, pulmonologist Sofia Ravara recalled that the tobacco industry lobby “has been in place for centuries” and that the various Portuguese governments have protected it in recent years.

In addition to the application of fees, the researcher argued that there should be a collaborative relationship — “which has not existed” — between medical societies and various civil society groups to prevent smoking in schools, highlighting that young people “are attracted to trying” electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco due to the “type of design and aromas”.

The professor at the University of Beira Interior recalled the United Kingdom's decision to ban the sale of disposable vaporizers from this year onwards.

This measure is part of a legislative package announced by the British Government, within the scope of the Tobacco and Vaping Act, which includes, among other measures, the creation of fines for retailers who violate the law and the expansion of smoking bans in indoor and outdoor spaces.

“These cigarettes have already been banned, for example, in the United Kingdom, but also in France and Brazil. Thirty-odd countries have banned them and have been doing so systematically, despite enormous pressure on the industry from political groups. This industry exists all over the world, but civil society must play its part,” he stressed.

World No Tobacco Day has been celebrated annually on May 31st since 1987 with the aim of drawing attention to the harm and health risks that tobacco causes, and this year's theme is “Unmasking the appeal: Exposing the tactics of the tobacco and nicotine product industry”.

The World Health Organization seeks to raise awareness, advocate for stronger policies, including bans on flavorings that make tobacco and nicotine products more appealing, and protect public health.