Most smokers begin the habit before reaching their 18th birthday, and a quarter of those began smoking before age 10, writes Mirta Roses, director of the Pan-American Health Organization, in this exclusive column for Tierramérica.

WASHINGTON, Jun 2 .- The tobacco merchants increasingly direct their gaze towards young people, even with the knowledge that smoking is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide.

The multi-million-dollar tobacco industry develops highly sophisticated advertising and marketing campaigns to trap youth in its claws. This is why we dedicated World No Tobacco Day, May 31, to fighting the nefarious network that promotes tobacco use.

Research shows that most smokers begin the habit before their 18th birthday. In fact, an enormous number—a quarter of that group—began smoking before age 10.

The earlier someone tries smoking for the first time, the more likely he or she will become a regular consumer, because nicotine is highly addictive, and the less chance there is of quitting.

Because of this, the tobacco industry takes intense action targeting youth. From the industry perspective, there is a multi-million-dollar reason to do so. But it is macabre. We must remember that tobacco kills between one-third and one-half of all smokers, and those deaths shorten lives by an average of 15 years.

Furthermore, smoking leads to enormous additional costs for our health systems, resources that could otherwise be channeled to resolve other health problems.

Because of its demographic characteristics, our region is more vulnerable to attack from the tobacco promotional network. Eight-five percent of people ages 10 to 24 live in developing countries, which makes them a target for this killer industry, because it needs to entrap young people in order to maintain its profits of tens of billions of dollars annually.

Whether direct or indirect, exposure to the advertising and marketing strategies of the tobacco companies increases youth experimentation with smoking, and with it the risk of becoming habitual smokers.

There are numerous direct and indirect ways to promote the smoking habit. From TV, magazines and radio, to e-mails and direct mailings, to posters, banners, coupons, prizes and logo tie-ins with products that don’t contain tobacco. Not to mention the paradox of sponsorship of sports events, or supporting or staging special events in places that are popular among young people, such as bars and clubs. Whatever means necessary to bring them in.

Faced with an assault of this magnitude, it is essential that our countries defend themselves vigorously if we are to have tobacco-free youth. To ban all types of direct or indirect tobacco advertising, including the promotion of products and industry sponsorship of any activities would be a highly effective step in that direction.

Only a total ban can effectively reduce smoking. Studies carried out in countries that have banned cigarette advertising showed a reduction in consumption of up to 16 percent. It is also clear that partial bans have little or no impact, given that the ads simply shift to other media.

To commemorate World No Tobacco Day we must convince legislators to adopt an integral law banning all forms of advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products. They must be aware that voluntary policies don’t work because the tobacco industry has no interest in them. They are not an acceptable response to protecting the public, especially young people, from the tactics employed by those who promote smoking.

At PAHO we will continue fighting so that the Americas increase the number of countries that are party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Currently it is the region of the world with the lowest percentage of countries that have ratified the Convention, at just 23 percent. The latest was Colombia, on Apr. 10, 2008.

We are calling on young people, civil society and the public in general to participate in this fight for a tobacco-free youth and to ask policy-makers for regulations that ban the advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products.

Let us defend life, let us protect young people and children. Let us break the tobacco promotional network.

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