Prohibition no, abolition yes! Rethinking how we talk about ending the cigarette epidemic
Ruth E Malone1, Robert N Proctor2
1Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA ruth.malone@ucsf.edu.
Tobacco Control
|March 4, 2022
Summary
The tobacco industry created a false link between ending cigarette sales and alcohol prohibition. This prevents effective policies by misrepresenting potential outcomes, hindering public health efforts.
Area of Science:
- Public Health Policy
- Tobacco Control
- Health Economics
Background:
- The tobacco industry has historically leveraged the negative associations of alcohol prohibition to impede tobacco control policies.
- Misunderstanding the US experience with alcohol prohibition has led public health advocates to wrongly assume that banning cigarette sales would inevitably fail.
- This creates a significant barrier to developing effective strategies for ending the cigarette epidemic.
Discussion:
- This paper deconstructs the tobacco industry's manufactured 'prohibition' narrative, highlighting its strategic use of a false analogy with alcohol.
- The analysis reveals how this analogy perpetuates the myth that ending cigarette sales is infeasible due to anticipated crime and black markets.
- It argues that this narrative actively obstructs rational policy development aimed at eliminating the sale of deadly consumer products.
Key Insights:
- The tobacco industry's 'prohibition' argument is a deliberate misdirection, not an accurate historical or economic parallel.
- The term 'abolition' is proposed as a more fitting descriptor for ending cigarette sales, emphasizing positive health and freedom outcomes.
- Challenging the false prohibition analogy is crucial for advancing public health goals in tobacco control.
Outlook:
- Reframing the discussion from 'prohibition' to 'abolition' can unlock innovative policy solutions for tobacco control.
- Abolition of cigarette sales promises significant enhancements in public health and individual freedom.
- Future research should focus on the practical implementation and societal benefits of cigarette sales abolition.
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