For decades, the number of smokers in Belgium has been steadily decreasing. In 1982, 40% of Belgians smoked, but by 2018, this figure had dropped to 19.4%. In terms of absolute numbers, this means there were 3.9 million smokers in the 1980s, compared to 2.2 million in 2018. Approximately half of smokers eventually quit, largely due to public education campaigns and new regulations highlighting the harmful effects of smoking.
However, there is some good news, although it is scarce. The decline in smoking rates has come to a standstill. "We must clean up our own doorstep and face the reality that policies are asleep at the wheel," said Minister of Health Frank Vandenbroucke in an interview with "Terzake." He emphasized the need for new measures. "Current measures have become stagnant. That's why we need to reignite this train. Quitting smoking is extremely difficult, and we must ensure people don't start in the first place.
In order to achieve this goal, the federal government has developed an anti-tobacco plan. For example, Van den Broeck hopes to further tighten the smoking ban and reduce the number of sales points from 2025 onwards. "From January 1st, the train will really start, and from then on, you will no longer be allowed to smoke on NMBS platforms. From 2024, we will address the issue of tobacco vending machines and prohibit temporary sales points. From 2025, we will also ban smoking in many places where children gather, such as playgrounds and amusement parks.
It is surprising that the largest proportion of smokers belong to lower socio-economic classes. "These people are harder to reach," said Vandenbroucke. "For this reason, we must significantly increase prices, and we are already doing so." Starting on January 1, 2023, cigarette packages that currently cost half a euro will cost over 9 euros in 2024, according to Vandenbroucke. He believes that this price increase should be accompanied by a decrease in the prices of fruits and vegetables.
Cancer expert Filip Lardon is pleased with Vandenbroucke's plan to reduce smoking rates. "I am happy with the federal government's anti-tobacco plan," said Lardon. "But it needs to be faster." For example, he wonders why the ban on smoking in amusement parks and playgrounds won't be effective until 2025. "Why wait two more years to implement it within two months?" Vandenbroucke sees this as primarily for practical reasons, "sometimes you have to seek support.
Trains can go faster. I always remember that 14,000 people die of cancer in our country every year," said Laden. "An interesting example is New Zealand. Children born there after 2009 cannot buy tobacco at all. I think that is an interesting idea." Vandenbroucke expressed satisfaction with the resumption of train services.
The use of electronic cigarettes is another tricky issue. Vandenbroucke considers e-cigarettes to be very dangerous. "There is almost no certainty about the health consequences," he pointed out. "More than 1800 different products are processed in them." Vandenbroucke also wants to take action on this, such as tightening regulations on e-cigarette advertising. "But we should not completely ban e-cigarettes, some people have also quit smoking," Laden warned.
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