Smoking in Costa Rica
Smoking in Costa Rica is still somewhat prevalent, and according to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) in 2015, 8.9% of the population smoked tobacco.
History
For around the last 40 years,
Eventually, things began to turn around and new legislation for anti-smoking laws were put in place. In 2007, the National Anti-Tobacco Network (RENATA) worked with the government to ratify and implement the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).[5] Then, in March 2012, Costa Rica passed one of the strictest smoking regulations in the world by a 45-2 vote in favor. This legislation has banned smoking in buses, taxis, trains and their terminals, work places, public buildings, restaurants, bars, casinos, and all enclosed public-access buildings, granting no exceptions (no separate “smoking areas” are permitted). It also banned smoking in outdoor recreational or educational areas such as parks, stadiums and university campuses. The bill requires cigarette packs to display text and photo warnings on at least 50 percent of packaging.[6]
It introduced a tax of twenty
Smoking among physicians
Another factor that contributed to smoking in this country was the lack of physicians as positive role models. During the early 1990s, almost one fifth of physicians were current smokers and about 40% were former smokers.[2] These numbers account for over half of physicians in all of Costa Rica who smoked cigarettes at some point in their life. Additionally, two thirds of physicians who did smoke did it at the workplace, which set a poor example for the patients.[2] This being said, many people saw their doctors using tobacco products and in turn, made it seem more acceptable to use these products since medical professionals were doing so.
Advertising
Another important change that many people have noticed is the increasing anti-tobacco advertisement, including television and radio commercials. According to the GATS in 2015, seven in ten people noticed these advertisements.[1]
References
- ^ a b c "Global Adult Tobacco Survey" (PDF). www.who.int. 15 October 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2018.[dead link]
- ^ PMID 10327710.
- ^ a b Crosbie, E.; Glantz, S.A.; Sebrie, E.M. (2012). Tobacco Control Legislation in Costa Rica (1971-2012): After 40 Years of Tobacco Industry Dominance, Tobacco Control Advocacy Succeeds (PDF). Buffalo, New York: Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
- ^ PMID 22286826.
- PMID 26879509.
- ^ ticotimes Archived 2013-01-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ insidecostarica.com