Statement by the Chief Medical Officer of Health – Towards a Smoke-Free Ontario
October 19, 2010
Earlier today, the Tobacco Strategy Advisory Group (TSAG) released a much-anticipated report on how Ontario should move forward with tobacco control. I want to commend the advisory group for a job well done, and want to throw my support behind the view that we must continue the war on tobacco with vigour and renewed commitment. To back away now is to lose ground and risk losing the fight completely.
The case for tobacco control has been well known for many years, but it can’t be restated often enough. This may be because we have been hearing for so long about how bad cigarettes are that we no longer pay it the attention we should. While the Smoke-Free Ontario Strategy has enjoyed considerable success, there are still more than two million smokers in Ontario and every year thousands of our young people pick up the habit of smoking.
This is a source of frustration in the public health community, because when you strip it down to what matters, there is really only one thing anyone needs to know about tobacco: it kills people. Here in Ontario, tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable disease and death. Every 40 minutes someone in this province dies because of tobacco.
And of course, smoking doesn’t just kill the people who smoke – it can also kill their family members and friends. The babies of mothers who smoke throughout pregnancy are at an increased risk, before and after birth, of many conditions including premature birth, sudden infant death syndrome and respiratory problems, such as asthma and reduced lung function. Second-hand smoke contains more than 50 known or suspected carcinogens and accounts for nearly three thousand deaths every year in this province.
The economic case for tobacco control is as compelling as the human one. In Ontario, tobacco-related diseases cost the provincial economy $1.6 billion in direct health care costs annually, and result in $4.4 billion in productivity losses. They also account for 500,000 hospital days every year.
I believe that complacency is our key enemy. Tobacco only kills because we let it. The war on smoking is a very long way from being won, but that is only a reason to redouble our efforts. And so while I will refrain from commenting on the many recommendations in the TSAG report, I will make two comments of my own for the government to consider:
We cannot win a war that we don’t continue to invest in. It is easy, and in tough economic times very understandable, that governments might consider cuts to program funding. In the case of tobacco control in Ontario, that would be the wrong option to consider. The Ontario Tobacco Research Unit estimates that for every dollar invested in addressing tobacco use, the government saves three dollars in healthcare spending. We need to increase funding, intensifying our efforts to reduce the prevalence of tobacco use by lowering the number of new smokers and increasing the number of people who quit. Down the road we will see that investment rewarded in lower health care costs, increased productivity, and fewer Ontarians dying of preventable diseases.
We need a cross-sectoral, cross-government, and pan-Ontario approach. Clearly, if we are to enjoy increased success in reducing the uptake of smoking and encouraging people to quit, we have to take an all-hands-on-deck attitude. We need a partnership between public health and primary care providers, because they are the people on the ground, talking to Ontarians, and are in the best position to influence, help and support them. In addition to the Ministry of Health Promotion and Sport, there are many other ministries with a role to play in the war on tobacco. Every ministry needs to own it.
The facts about tobacco use are beyond dispute. It is an epidemic that kills, sickens, burdens health care systems, and costs all of us money. Ontario has acknowledged this reality and has been fighting to reduce tobacco consumption for many years. There is much to be proud of in what we have accomplished, but we have not accomplished nearly enough. It is time to take the next step in tobacco control in Ontario.
Dr. Arlene King
Chief Medical Officer of Health
