site.btaNGO Urges to Free Children from Tobacco Advertising

NGO Urges to Free Children from Tobacco Advertising

Sofia, February 21 (BTA) - A non-governmental organization called Coalition for Life without Tobacco Smoke urged at a BTA-hosted news conference on Tuesday for legal amendments for total ban on the advertising of tobacco, tobacco products and related products. Doctor Gergana Geshanova of the NGO said that the campaign is not aimed against smokers but is intended as a safeguard for children. At the moment outdoor advertising of tobacco is allowed.

Geshanova argued that cigarette ads seek to sell more and foster an acceptance in people's minds that smoking is natural.

Another representative of the NGO, Doctor Masha Gavrailova, said that what the ads show is important. She said that according to a 20-year study in 22 countries, the total ban on cigarette advertising can reduce smoking by 6.3 per cent. Another 15-year study in 30 developing countries showed that banning tobacco advertising led to a 23 per cent cut in the consumption of tobacco products. Data of the World Health Organization (WHO) show that the countries with a total ban on tobacco advertising report a seven per cent drop in the consumption of tobacco products. In Turkey, for instance, the share of smokers decreased by 13 per cent.

WHO data place Bulgaria second in Europe in terms of number of 15-year-old youths who smoke at least once in the week, Gavrailova said. According to data of the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) for 2015, seven per cent of school goers up to 13 years of age smoke cigarettes daily, and the percentage for 16-year-olds grows to 25.

According to Radoslav Bimbalov of an advertising agency which created a video against tobacco advertising, the purpose of the campaign is to start a debate on the topic.