Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017;4(4):503-510.
doi: 10.1007/s40429-017-0166-7. Epub 2017 Aug 31.

A Policy Perspective on the Global Use of Smokeless Tobacco

Kamran Siddiqi  1 , Aishwarya Lakshmi Vidyasagaran  1 , Anne Readshaw  1 , Ray Croucher  2
Affiliations
Review

A Policy Perspective on the Global Use of Smokeless Tobacco

Kamran Siddiqi et al. Curr Addict Rep. 2017.

Abstract

Background: Globally, over 300 million people consume diverse smokeless tobacco (ST) products. They are addictive, cause cancer, increased cardiovascular mortality risks and poor pregnancy outcomes.

Purpose of review: To identify gaps in implementing key ST demand-reduction measures, focused literature reviews were conducted and findings synthesized according to relevant WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Articles.

Recent findings: The literature supports implementation of ST demand-reduction measures. For taxation, labelling and packaging, most administrations have weaker policies for ST than cigarettes. Capacity to regulate ST contents and offer cessation support is lacking. There is poor compliance with bans on ST advertising, promotion and sponsorship.

Summary: The literature on implementation of WHO FCTC for ST is limited. Although strengths of ST demand-control activities are currently identifiable from available literature, full implementation of FCTC is lacking. A wider evidence-based response to WHO FCTC is proposed, particularly for countries facing the greatest disease burdens.

Keywords: Global health; Smokeless tobacco; Snus; Tobacco control.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

Kamran Siddiqi has received research funding through grants from the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, Pfizer and the European Union.

Aishwarya Lakshmi Vidyasagaran declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Anne Readshaw declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Ray Croucher declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

References

    1. • National Cancer Institute. Smokeless tobacco and public health: a global perspective. Bethesda, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute. 2014. This report provides a comprehensive overview of the global challenge posed by ST, and identifies key research and policy needs.
    1. • Siddiqi K, Shah S, Abbas SM, Vidyasagaran A, Jawad M, Dogar O, et al. Global burden of disease due to smokeless tobacco consumption in adults: analysis of data from 113 countries. BMC Med. 2015;13:194. This study presents the first estimates of the global burden of disease due to smokeless tobacco consumption by adults. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Sinha DN, Gupta PC, Ray C, Singh PK. Prevalence of smokeless tobacco use among adults in WHO South-East Asia. Indian J Cancer. 2012;49(4):342–346. doi: 10.4103/0019-509X.107726. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Stanfill SB, Connolly GN, Zhang L, Jia LT, Henningfield JE, Richter P, et al. Global surveillance of oral tobacco products: total nicotine, unionised nicotine and tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines. Tob Control. 2011;20(3):e2-e. doi: 10.1136/tc.2010.037465. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Sinha DN, Suliankatchi RA, Gupta PC, Thamarangsi T, Agarwal N, Parascandola M, et al. Global burden of all-cause and cause-specific mortality due to smokeless tobacco use: systematic review and meta-analysis. Tob Control. 2016 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2016-053302. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources