Lancet editorial criticises tobacco industry for peddling death

10 February 2011

ASH Scotland Chief Executive Sheila Duffy today said she agreed with this week’s Lancet Editorial which criticises the tobacco industry as morally repugnant for expanding into developing “vulnerable” countries, and for being “surely the most cruel and corrupt business model human beings could have invented”. Commenting Ms Duffy said:

“This week’s Editorial in the Lancet is a devastating and accurate description of an industry whose product kills one in two of its consumers. The Lancet is a highly respected heath journal and it is right to criticise an industry for “selling, addicting, and killing” while trying to show a socially acceptable side to investors and the public.

“In Scotland, smoking causes a quarter of all adult deaths and thousands are affected by tobacco-related disease and illness. It costs the Scottish economy around £1.1 billion in terms of the costs to the NHS and other areas such as costs to businesses and fires. The tobacco industry is run by large multi-national profit driven companies that have as their main aim recruiting people to an addictive and lethal product.

“Those products are now actively being marketed and promoted in developing countries where there may be few tobacco control measures and often no healthcare provision that can cope with the devastating impacts of tobacco.

“Yet as ASH Scotland’s recent report Counter Measures shows, the tobacco industry uses every weapon in its arsenal to oppose measures that aim to reduce its power to recruit new smokers. That is why it is essential we have a robust smoking prevention programme and clear, enforced tobacco sales laws in place.”