Countries in the Region of the Americas have been slow to adopt standardized packaging of tobacco products. The objectives of this analysis are to report on the progress made in adopting such packaging in countries in the Region, review known tobacco industry strategies for opposing these policies and discuss the resources available to academics, advocates and policy-makers who might be interested in advancing the use of standardized packaging in the Region. Of the 23 countries worldwide that have fully adopted standardized packaging laws, only 2 are in the Region (Canada and Uruguay).

[Extract] The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 1.3 billion people in the world aged 15 years and older consume tobacco, of which 128 million (10%) live in the Region of the Americas. Since 2000, when WHO estimates started, the number of tobacco users in the Americas has reduced by 22.4%, from 165 million to 128 million users, even with concurrent population growth. Despite this progress, without additional tobacco control actions, the current projection by 2025 is that around 118 million people will still be using tobacco in the Americas (1).

[Extract] Every year, tobacco use leads to more than eight million deaths globally and one million deaths in the Region of the Americas (1,2). The global economic cost of smoking is estimated to be US$ 1.4 trillion yearly and it disproportionately affects people in low-and middle-income countries (1). The devastating health, social, environmental, and economic consequences of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke ultimately constrain development (3).

Objectives

To provide detailed information about how countries in the Region of the Americas are fulfilling the requirements set out in the guidelines for the implementation of Article 11 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in relation to the rotation of health warning labels and to identify possible challenges in the implementation of the laws or regulations governing the rotation.

The tobacco endgame is rapidly moving from aspirational and theoretical toward a concrete and achievable goal and, in some cases, enacted policy. Endgame policies differ from traditional tobacco control measures by explicitly aiming to permanently end, rather than simply minimize, tobacco use. The purpose of this paper is to outline recent progress made in the tobacco endgame, its relationship to existing tobacco control policies, the challenges and how endgame planning can be adapted to different tobacco control contexts.

The tobacco industry continues to present the illicit trade of tobacco products as a reason to slow, stop, or reverse tobacco control efforts in Latin America, including increasing tobacco excise taxes. In most cases, industry estimates of illicit trade, usually non-transparent and flawed, dwarf those of independent, rigorous research. Often, independent studies find that the levels of illicit trade are mostly non-consequential or easily manageable (<12%). Almost always, industry findings grossly overestimate the illicit market.

Almost 20 years after the launching by the Pan American Health Organization of its “Smoke-Free Americas” initiative in 2001, in December 2020, South America became the first subregion in the Americas to accomplish 100% smoke-free environments in line with Article 8 of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

Objective

To assess progress in and barriers to implementing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS) in Uruguay, which has a complete ban, and Argentina, with a partial ban.

Methods

Legislation on TAPS bans in Uruguay and Argentina was reviewed and relevant published literature, news stories, civil society reports and tobacco industry reports retrieved to analyze progress in implementing TAPS bans.

This special report describes the methodology for calculating the indicator for the adoption of effective mechanisms to counter interference by the tobacco industry and those who work to further its interests, as established in the Strategy and Plan of Action to Strengthen Tobacco Control in the Region of the Americas 2018-2022; the report also presents the status of adoption of these mechanisms in the countries of the Region as of 2019, and progress since 2016.

Objectives

To evaluate the prevalence of exposure to Internet communications on and advertising of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and their association with perceptions of the social acceptability of e-cigarettes in Mexico.