Fact sheet  

1. Tobacco growing means less land for food crops. Estimates suggest that up to 20 million people could be fed if we got rid of tobacco and grew food crops instead. Although the good news is that life expectancy in many developing countries is improving, thanks to better infectious disease control, the bad news is that tobacco-related illnesses are on the rise as tobacco companies woo these new markets.

2.   How deforestation and tobacco production go hand in hand: When we light up, it’s not just the cigarette we’re burning. About 200,000 hectares of forest disappear each year to fuel tobacco curing, and to build curing barns.  In Malawi, for instance, nearly 80% of the deforestation there may be linked to tobacco farming. Because most tobacco cultivation takes place in semi arid areas, when the trees are lost it turns to speed up desertification. The results of these activities have significant negative impact on today’s rapid climate change.

3.   Green tobacco sickness is common among tobacco workers: As well as health risks from pesticides, tobacco workers also get green tobacco sickness from handling wet tobacco leaves.

4.   Each year Ghana Customs cease lots of smuggled cigarettes of which most are fake. We however still find large amount of these fake cigarettes smuggled into the country and sold by illegal street sellers. Smoking fake cigarettes are known to expose smokers to 3 times more arsenic, 6 times more lead, 160% more tar and 133% more carbon monoxide.

5. Child labor – xxxxxxxxx