The Report on Tobacco Control of the Region of the Americas 2022 presents the progress of the implementation of the MPOWER technical package during the period of 2018-2021. While there has been significant progress noted, the report also highlights the gaps in the acceleration of the tobacco control agenda both at the global and regional levels. Collectively, 26 of the 35 Member States within the Region are implementing at least one measure of the MPOWER technical package at the highest level of application, accounting for 96% of the Region's population being protected from the harms of tobacco. The report also details how the global COVID-19 pandemic is seen as being one of the most important threats to the tobacco control agenda. The increasing development and accessibility of the category of novel and emerging tobacco and nicotine products add to the challenge of accelerating tobacco control both globally and regionally. Yet, despite these obstacles, the Region of the Americas now ranks the second lowest prevalence of tobacco consumption globally and a 100% smoke-free South America.

Research in the past five years suggests a bleak picture of the health dangers of smoking, with tobacco the biggest single killer of all forms of pollution. It is estimated that one person dies every ten seconds due to smoking-related diseases. This publication considers the history and current position regarding tobacco use, as well as providing some predictions for the future of the tobacco epidemic upto the year 2050. It contains a number of full-colour world maps and graphics to illustrate the variations between countries and regions. Issues discussed include: tobacco prevalence and consumption; youth smoking; the economics of tobacco farming and manufacturing; smuggling; the tobacco industry, promotion, profits and trade; smokers' rights; legislative action such as smoke-free areas, tobacco advertising bans and health warnings.

This report considers the biological and behavioral mechanisms that may underlie the pathogenicity of tobacco smoke. Many Surgeon General's reports have considered research findings on mechanisms in assessing the biological plausibility of associations observed in epidemiologic studies. Mechanisms of disease are important because they may provide plausibility, which is one of the guideline criteria for assessing evidence on causation. This report specifically reviews the evidence on the potential mechanisms by which smoking causes diseases and considers whether a mechanism is likely to be operative in the production of human disease by tobacco smoke. This evidence is relevant to understanding how smoking causes disease, to identifying those who may be particularly susceptible, and to assessing the potential risks of tobacco products.

This book contains the guidelines adopted by the Conference of the Parties. These seven guidelines cover a wide range of provisions of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, such as: the protection of public health policies with respect to tobacco control from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry; protection from exposure to tobacco smoke; packaging and labelling of tobacco products; and tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and demand reduction measures concerning tobacco dependence and cessation. These guidelines are intended to help Parties to meet their obligations under the respective provisions of the Convention. They reflect the consolidated views of Parties on different aspects of implementation, their experiences and achievements, and the challenges faced. The guidelines also aim to reflect and promote best practices and standards that governments would benefit from in the treaty-implementation process.

Progress in reducing tobacco use is a key indicator for measuring countries’ efforts to implement the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control – target 3.a under the Sustainable Development Goals agenda. Countries have adopted this indicator to report progress also towards the tobacco reduction target under the Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases 2013–2020 and the WHO’s Global Programme of Work triple billions target. This report presents WHO estimates of tobacco use prevalence for 2022, numbers of users, and trends projected to 2030. Estimates are at global, regional and country-level.