He Official College of Pharmacists of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has spoken out against the transfer of part of the production of the tobacco company Philip Morris International to Gran Canaria and has criticized the support of the administrations for that industry, in line with previous positions of scientific societies and medical associations.
“The regional, national and international image of the Canarias brand must be one of responsibility, well-being and health, as it actually is, and not the export of disease, disability, fear and death”, warn the pharmacists.
In a statement, they point out that “tobacco production supposes the perpetuation of tobacco damage in any of its forms, including new nicotine consumer products.”
They affirm that this transfer, for which the multinational requires “the approval” of the Government of the Canary Islands, “represents a new violation of current legislation and the Framework Convention on Smoking Control of the World Health Organization.”
The president of the College of Pharmacists of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Manuel Ángel Galván, affirms that “the creation of jobs will in no case compensate the economic cost of treating all diseases caused by tobacco and, of course, , the cost in lives”.
Pharmacists recall that smoking “is the leading preventable cause of disease, causes all kinds of heart and cerebrovascular problems, respiratory diseases and contributes to the increase in lung cancer and is a risk factor for other types of cancer.”
They add that the new nicotine consumption devices can cause the same diseases as conventional cigarettes, they do not help to quit smoking and they represent a gateway to consumption among young people.
