The 13th World Conference on Tobacco OR Health

Tobacco is highly addictive. Almost 1.3 billion (109) people currently smoke worldwide, the majority of whom are in countries with medium levels of human development. Tobacco epidemic is now poised to afflict poorer developing countries with low levels of human development. In addition to the long-term health risks, tobacco use among low income groups can have immediate, insidious effects, through diverting scarce family resources away from beneficial uses. Tobacco use has a very high opportunity cost, in that it diverts spending from basic needs; leading to loss of earnings and productivity which worsen poverty. The total costs of tobacco consumption to the community as a whole consist of private costs and external (or ‘social') costs. However, smoking also plays a significant economic role in society. While cigarette tax is a rich source of revenue to the Treasury, the costs of smoking to the economy include not only the expense of treating related-diseases but also other costs e.g. working days lost and social security payments. In Sudan, 20.3% currently use any tobacco product; 8% currently smoke cigarettes. Tobacco puts an enormous financial burden on countries. The costs of tobacco use at the national level encompass increased health-care costs, lost productivity due to illness and early death, foreign exchange losses, and environmental damage. To counter the negative human costs of tobacco and thereby assist in achieving MDG, raising government taxes on tobacco stands out as the most effective measure. This will increase government revenue while at the same time discouraging smoking.