Warsaw, 17 November 2022 - For 30 years now, World No Smoking Day has been celebrated on the third Thursday of November to draw the attention of the whole population to the consequences of smoking: social, economic and, above all, health. On this day, many government institutions launch educational campaigns to encourage people to take up the challenge of quitting. These are much-needed activities but they are no substitute for comprehensive and consistently implemented systemic and fiscal changes to make Poland a tobacco-free country by 2030. !
The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest threats to public health, with more than 8 million people worldwide dying annually from tobacco-related diseases. More than 7 million of these deaths are the result of direct smoking and approximately 1.2 million are the result of exposure of non-smokers to second-hand smoke. In Poland, 200 people die every day as a result of smoking-related diseases!
In Poland, 26% of the population smoke cigarettes compulsively, according to the European Commission's latest Eurobarometer data. According to a survey conducted by CBOS in 2021. "Attitudes towards smoking cigarettes", one third of adult Poles, around 7.5-8 million people, smoke. The percentage of smokers has remained basically unchanged since 2007. This is above the EU average!
Smoking is psychologically and physically addictive. Apart from nicotine, which is a highly addictive substance in cigarettes, the most harmful is tobacco smoke, which contains more than 7,000 compounds, of which around 100 toxic substances that have a direct impact on cancer.
Smoking or passive exposure to smoke is directly linked to the incidence of 80% cases of lung cancer. Cigarette smoke is also responsible for cancers of the head and neck region (larynx), stomach cancer, bladder cancer, colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer, pancreas, kidney cancer and myeloid leukaemia. Cigarette smoking is responsible for approximately one third of all malignant tumours. The increase in the incidence of tobacco-related cancers or those resulting from air pollution and the high cost of modern anti-cancer therapies will imply a further increase in NHF expenditure on oncology. Smokers are also much more likely to suffer from respiratory diseases. Cigarettes strongly irritate the epithelium lining the airways, and as many as 90% cases of COPD are caused by smoking.
The recent amendment of the excise law, which was intended to support the health-oriented choices of Poles and reduce cigarette sales, has not had this effect, as the affordability of cigarettes in Poland remains relatively high, which has an impact on facilitated initiation especially among young people "According to Eurotax 2021 data. Poland has the second cheapest cigarettes in Europe. You can only buy them cheaper in Bulgaria. At the same time, the fee for introducing a new type of cigarette for sale is 0 PLN! Despite the excise duty increase, cigarette sales in our country increased dramatically - in the first half of 2022 by as much as nearly 13% compared to the same period last year.
The price of cigarettes - in addition to consistent public health education - should be one of the effective ways to reduce access to tobacco and nicotine-containing products. It is therefore advisable to further increase the excise duty on cigarettes. Taxes on products with proven harmful effects on health, similar to excise duties on alcohol products or the so-called sugar levy, should be linked to the level of toxic content/emission. The resulting additional tax revenue should be earmarked in a certain proportion for prevention and oncological care within the budget of the National Health Service or the Medical Fund.
17 November motivates Us - NGOs concerned about the scale of the cigarette epidemic to once again make an APPEAL to those in power to implement a strategy that would lead to a significant reduction in the availability of cigarettes in Poland.
The most important demands for an effective fight against nicotinism in Poland are as follows :
- Development of a strategy to combat nicotinism with indicators to monitor its implementation.
- Raise excise duty on all smoking tobacco products and transfer these funds entirely to the cancer strategy.
- Introduce fiscal measures and systemic regulations restricting access to cigarettes such as: the introduction of a significant levy on the release of traditional cigarettes (currently PLN 0).
- Establishment of a nationwide network of anti-smoking clinics.
- Conducting campaigns on a larger scale to support quitting.
- Dissemination of the tobacco control intervention scheme, including the use of harm reduction measures for compulsive smokers (harm reduction) on a larger scale.
- Standardisation and pre-authorisation evaluation of all alternative nicotine replacement products.
- Raising the age of legal purchase of nicotine products to 21.
- Increase penalties for selling tobacco products to minors.
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More about the campaign Drop it! No Regrets. and posts on the website and FB
- Lung Cancer Association o. Szczecin https://www.rakpluca.szczecin.pl
- Overcome Cancer Foundation https://www.pokonajraka
- Institute for Patients' Rights and Health Education https://ippez.pl
- We the Patients Foundation https://mypacjenci.org
- Polish Diabetes Association https://diabetyk.org.pl
- Polish Federation of Associations of Asthma, Allergy and COPD Patients https://www.astma-alergia-pochp.pl/
