I could not believe my eyes yesterday morning when I saw that the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World had been launched with the goal of eliminating smoking — with a commitment of $80 million per year for 12 years by Philip Morris International, a leading tobacco company. The Foundation will be headed by Dr. Derek Yach, who was the primary architect of the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. I spoke with Yach yesterday; he is a friend and we worked together on the PepsiCo business, where he served as the top executive in health and public policy.
There are now a billion smokers globally, and smoking is still the No. 1 preventable cause of death, with one person dying every six seconds from the effects of smoking. There are 7 million deaths a year from smoking-related ailments such as cancer and heart disease; smoking kills more people than HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined.
Yach told me that he had several meetings with the CEO of Philip Morris “who has committed to end smoking” and also noted that the Foundation by-laws will preclude any involvement by tobacco industry representatives in any governance, funding decisions or strategy.
The Foundation will support research into smoking harm reduction in part through interventions that increase smoking cessation, measure progress on smoking reduction and identify alternative crops for tobacco farmers as demand decreases. I was particularly taken with Yach’s assertion that the financial return to farmers from non-tobacco crops in Malawi and Zimbabwe is already equivalent to that from tobacco. “It is a chance to end food insecurity by getting farmers to shift to alternative crops and livelihoods,” he said.
Yach indicated that his efforts will focus heavily on marketing practices in developing markets: “There is already a ban on sales to teens and a promise to end lobbying. It is my hope that all tobacco companies will get to a point where there is no more cigarette advertising, and in time, even sales, in any markets.”
I believe in Derek Yach, having watched him move PepsiCo to a healthier product portfolio less reliant on soda and chips. This is a bold move certain to cause outrage in certain segments of the health policy community. But the current mix of ideas, including higher user taxes and stronger warnings on pack are not slowing the growth of tobacco use. Hold the industry to account, Derek, and let’s get rid of it forever.
Richard Edelman is president and CEO.