Europe has a smoking problem, and it is not just a legacy of the past. According to data published by WHO/Europe on Feb. 26, the region comprising 53 countries between Europe and Central Asia is set to become the area with the highest prevalence of tobacco use in the world by 2030. A record we would gladly do without, considering that tobacco already causes more than 1.1 million deaths each year in our territory.
Despite decades of advocacy, progress seems to have stalled. “Without accelerated action, we will remain the worst performing region in the world,” warns Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. The most disturbing fact is that the new addiction has the face of teenage girls and the captivating scent of synthetic flavors.
The bitter record of European girls
There is one figure that breaks all patterns: the European region is the only one in the world where the global target of a 30% reduction in tobacco use among women by 2025 is not expected to be met. If the rest of the world is running, we are walking: the estimated reduction is only 12 percent.
Today, more than 40 percent of global adult smokers (about 62 million women) live in Europe. But one’s gaze must go down to school age to understand the extent of the phenomenon: girls between the ages of 13 and 15 in our region hold the world record for tobacco use. As Kluge points out, this is the “result of a deliberate industrial strategy that targets young people with flavored products and sophisticated marketing on social media.”
The illusion of vaping and the nicotine trap
If traditional cigarettes are losing some of their old appeal, new electronic devices are filling the gap with a speed that laws are struggling to follow. About 4 million European adolescents consume tobacco products, but vaping is leading the charge: 14.3 percent of the very young use electronic cigarettes, the highest percentage on the planet.
The perception of a “less harmful” product is creating a new generation of nicotine addicts.
However, vaping is not harmless: the aerosol produced by e-cigarettes contains nicotine, heavy metals, carcinogenic compounds and irritants that can damage the lungs, worsen asthma and cause bronchitis even in non-smokers
Kristina Mauer-Stender, WHO consultant, is adamant: “Decades of progress are at risk if policies do not keep pace with a rapidly changing nicotine landscape.”
Recent studies also point to cardiovascular and neurological risks: e-cig use can alter blood vessel function, increase the risk of heart disease, and have adverse effects on brain development in adolescents.
Currently, 31.4 million adults in Europe use e-cigs, placing us second in the world after the Americas.
Flaws in the system: where policy stops
WHO report exposes government shortcomings. Although warning messages on packages are now the norm, only 18 out of 53 countries have smoke-free laws that truly cover all public spaces. Even worse is affordability: in as many as 19 countries, cigarettes are easier to buy today than they were in 2014.
While nations such as Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands are charting a course by banning flavorings and drastically limiting advertising, the rest of the region is faltering. Regulation of new products remains fragmented, leaving room for gray areas where the tobacco industry continues to thrive.
The challenge for 2030 can only be met with legislative courage: treating new products with the same rigor as old ones is the only way to prevent today’s trends from becoming tomorrow’s medical bulletins.
