Tobacco use on the rise in Oman: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday said that the number of people using tobacco has steadily decreased over the years, but six countries including the Sultanate of Oman, Congo, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan and the Republic of Moldova still see a rise in tobacco use.

It may be noted that Oman has been taking several steps to reduce tobacco use, which include a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, increasing excise taxes on tobacco products, smoke-free legislation, tobacco health warnings, labels on plain packaging, and mass media campaigns.

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Investment Promotion announced that the mandatory standard for plain packaging of tobacco products will be effective from April 2024.

“The ministry requests tobacco companies and local compliance firms to follow Standard OS1655 for plain packaging of tobacco products. This becomes mandatory from April 4, 2024,” the ministry said in a statement.

The standard requires that at least 65 percent of the packaging includes a public health warning, a picture, and a message to quit, while the rest of the packaging displays the brand name in a standardised font and colour.

The Consumer Protection Authority recently said that a fine of up to RO 2,000 for multiple violations will be imposed on anyone who trades in e-cigarettes, shisha and their accessories in the Sultanate of Oman.

The WHO said that the world will make a 25-percent relative reduction in tobacco use by 2025, missing the voluntary global goal of a 30-percent reduction from the 2010 baseline.

Only 56 countries globally will reach this goal, down four countries since the last report in 2021.

Globally there are 1.25 billion adult tobacco users, according to the latest estimates in the World Health Organization tobacco trends report.

Trends in 2022 show a continued decline in tobacco use rates globally. With about 1 in 5 adults worldwide consuming tobacco compared to 1 in 3 in 2000.

The report shows that 150 countries are successfully reducing tobacco use. Brazil and the Netherlands are seeing success after they implemented tobacco control measures, with Brazil is making a relative reduction of 35 per cent since 2010 and the Netherlands on the verge of reaching the 30-per cent target.

“Good progress has been made in tobacco control in recent years, but there is no time for complacency. I’m astounded at the depths the tobacco industry will go to pursue profits at the expense of countless lives. We see that the minute a government thinks they have won the fight against tobacco the tobacco industry seizes the opportunity to manipulate health policies and sell their deadly products," says Dr Ruediger Krech, Director of the WHO Department of Health Promotion.

The WHO urges countries to continue putting in place tobacco control policies and to fight against tobacco industry interference.

Currently, the WHO South-East Asian Region has the highest percentage of the population using tobacco at 26.5 percent with the European Region not far behind at 25.3 percent.

The report shows that by 2030 the WHO European Region is projected to have the highest rates globally with a prevalence of just over 23 percent. Tobacco use rates among women in WHO’s European region is more than double the global average and are reducing much slower than in all other regions.

Country surveys consistently show that children aged 13–15 years in most countries are using tobacco and nicotine products. To protect future generations and ensure that tobacco use continues to decline, WHO will dedicate this year’s 'World No Tobacco Day' to protect children from the tobacco industry's interference.