MUG's scientist in the World Health Organization

27.03.2019

Łukasz Balwicki, Ph.D from the MUG’s Department of Public Health & Social Medicine has just started cooperation with a World Health Organization scientific team dealing with illegal tobacco trade. The main task is to conduct research on the illegal tobacco market on the eastern border of the European Union countries. Łukasz Balwicki participated in the Illicit Tobacco Trade workshop at the WHO headquarters in Geneva. The panel’s activities relate to the implementation of the Protocol on the Elimination of Illicit Traffic in Tobacco Products to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and the European Tracking and Tracing System to track tobacco trade. The presence of illegal tobacco products on national markets undermines the prevention and control of tobacco products, increases the availability of cheap tobacco for minors and less well-off groups.

Illegal trade also reduces tax revenues to the state budget. The implementation of the Protocol and the tracking system will help to reduce the problem of illegal tobacco and smoking epidemic.