Brazil gets international recognition for tobacco policies

Brazil has won the Awards for Global Tobacco Control provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies, a partner of the World Health Organization, alongside five organizations from other countries.

In a statement, the Ministry of Health said the award shows international recognition for Brazil's public policies to combat smoking. The ministry reports the number of smokers in the country continues to decline. According to the National Health Survey, the percentage of people who smoked and used tobacco products decreased 20.5% between 2008 and 2013.

According to the government, currently more than 23,000 family health teams work in 4,375 municipalities to treat tobacco addiction. Over the past two years, the ministry has allocated $12.6 for anti-tobacco efforts.

The Ministry of Health also pointed out that regulatory efforts have helped reduce tobacco-smoking, including taxation rules for tobacco-related products and cigarette pricing minimums. Another policy is a December 2014 law banning indoor smoking subject to fines ranging from $1,500 to $460,000.

“These changes in Brazilian legislation combined with the introduction of package imagery with health warnings have positively impacted [reduced] smoking habits. More than half of respondents in the National Health Survey (52.3%) say they considered quitting after they saw the warnings,” the ministry said.

Translated by Mayra Borges

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