Q&A with Dr. John Seffrin, Chief Executive Officer, American Cancer Society, and President, International Union Against Cancer

Question: Why is the American Cancer Society now focusing on the issue of global tobacco control?

Answer: There is a great need to take action. Tobacco is a ticking time bomb. As cancer incidence and mortality rates have begun to level off and decline in developed nations, the burden of cancer has begun to shift to the developing world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 500 million people alive today in the world –250 million of them children—will eventually be killed by tobacco-related disease.

Question: Who is most at risk?

Answer: A recent study conducted by WHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention here in the United States found that one in seven young people aged 13-15 around the world smoke cigarettes, with nearly a quarter of them having tried their first cigarette by the age of 10. About 80,000-100,000 children and adolescents become addicted to tobacco each day around the world. In China alone, about 50 million youth will eventually be killed by tobacco.

Question: Why has tobacco emerged as the leading killer in the world?

Answer: There are several major reasons:

First, because the world is doing a better job of preventing communicable diseases (such as AIDS and TB), non-communicable diseases, like cancer, stroke and heart disease caused by smoking, are taking over as the leading threat to health. WHO reports that by 2030, 10 million people will die each year of tobacco-related illnesses, making tobacco the number one cause of premature death worldwide.

Second, The tobacco industry has been working hard to market its deadly and addictive products to developing nations. The burden is shifting from developing countries because poorer nations have few resources to resist. While tobacco-related deaths will only increase slightly in the developed world during the next 30 years, they will more than triple in the developing world.

Question: How much is spent on tobacco control outside of the US?

Answer: Less than $100 million is spent per year on international tobacco control, compared to the nearly $2 billion that is spent in the U.S. alone.

Question: Which countries are most at risk?

Answer: Sub-Saharan Africa, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and North Africa are all poised to experience devastating health consequences from tobacco.

Question: What contribution can the American Cancer Society make in fighting the tobacco industry and their efforts to market cigarettes abroad?

Answer: The need for ACS leadership is great. By and large, the tobacco control movement remains fragmented and local, while the tobacco industry, although competitive, is unified, global and focused. We are the oldest and largest private voluntary health organization in the world, and we serve as a model for cancer organizations in many ways. We’ve begun to win the fight against cancer at home…now we can share this progress with others, for whom the struggle is just beginning.

Question: What action steps can be taken by the US?

The first and most important step is to hammer out a Framework Convention on Tobacco Control that has real teeth. The FCTC is being developed under the auspices of WHO and would be the world’s first treaty to reduce tobacco-related death and disease and offers the best hope for rolling back the tide of tobacco. The treaty’s success depends on the support it receives from WHO’s member nations, which includes the US. The American Cancer Society believes our nation must support key treaty provisions that would curb deceptive marketing practices, reduce youth smoking and reduce exposure to secondhand smoke in nations around the world.

The U.S. is a major tobacco-exporting nation, and concern for the profits of our domestic tobacco companies –and the political clout they wield through campaign contributions—is driving our nation’s positions. (The tobacco industry spends $1 million to lobby Congress each day Congress meets.) The American people want the US to be a major health exporter, not a major disease exporter.

Question: What is the American Cancer Society currently doing to address this issue? How will your new role as president of the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) serve to strengthen the bonds of collaboration?

Answer: The American Cancer Society is working to do its part. As part of our new international cancer control initiative, the American Cancer Society has joined with the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) and other partners to launch a major new effort to train and support new tobacco control leaders in developing countries. And in my new role as President of the UICC, I will be working hard to strengthen the bonds of collaboration among tobacco control leaders in North America, all of Europe and throughout the world. All nations must have determined advocates willing to fight for needed policy changes that work, such as:

• Raise tobacco excise taxes; this discourages consumption.
• Make sure people understand the health dangers of smoking—many in the underdeveloped world don’t.
• Collect statistics on the deadly toll of tobacco in each nation to underscore its dangers; this will require identifying and training tobacco control researchers in each nation.
• Develop a dedicated cadre of tobacco control advocates who will work tirelessly for appropriate policies and programs.

Question: Why should the United States focus on this issue?

Answer: Rising rates of tobacco-related disease can cripple economic, social, and political development in emerging nations. That could undermine America’s efforts to promote stability, democracy, and security throughout the world.