Global Action Community Newsletter
We already have the research and tools to end smoking’s legacy as the leading cause of preventable death.
The only thing standing in our way? The need to spread evidence-based information—and empathy—widely to people who smoke, health care providers, and other key stakeholders.
That’s where Global Action comes in: we’re committed to our charitable mission of ending smoking. And now, we’re proud to say that we can support this work until our mission is complete.
This month, we underwent an organizational restructuring that ensures we will be able to honor our existing commitments to research, community education initiatives, and other programs geared toward ending the smoking epidemic. We will also be able to fund future grants for years to come. Our ability to pursue our mission will allow us to save lives and reduce the harm caused by tobacco.
As part of this reorganization, it is my honor to join the team at Global Action as Chief Development Officer. I’ve dedicated my life’s work to the vision I share with Global Action—one where people who smoke are treated with compassion on their journeys to quit—and I’m thrilled to arrive at such a promising moment.
Do you have a question about quitting? Ask us here and we may answer it in an upcoming newsletter!
CLICK HERE TO SEND US YOUR QUESTION
I know firsthand the positive impact of Global Action’s work. When I was the CEO of the nonprofit Healthy Initiatives, a GA grant enabled us to educate health care providers throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia about tobacco harm reduction. By highlighting the benefits of moving down the nicotine continuum of risk for people who will not or cannot quit smoking, many of whom live in conflict zones, we were able to better equip providers to meet patients where they are.
GA’s recent restructuring reflects a commitment to its bold new grantees, including the National Harm Reduction Coalition and Northwell Health, both of which will support smoking cessation programs for adults that include tobacco harm reduction as part of their evidenced-based approaches. As Chief Development Officer, I’m excited to find like-minded individuals and organizations who will support this and other life-saving work.
Smoking’s popularity is on the decline. Global tobacco consumption rates, among which smoking is the most popular form, decreased steadily in adults between 2000 and 2020, from 32.7% to 21.7%. Today, more people are choosing to quit or are choosing less harmful nicotine alternatives.
We are so close to making a world free of disease and death related to smoking. I’m confident that Global Action and our grantees will lead the way. But we still have a long way to go. We are prepared to dream bigger and even farther into the future. I can’t wait to see what we achieve together.
All my best,
Nataliia “Natasha” Toropova
Chief Development Officer
Global Action to end Smoking
By the Numbers
1/6
the number of lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults in the U.S.* who smoke cigarettes, according to 2021 data from the National Health Interview Survey.
Compare that to 1 in 9 heterosexual adults who smoke cigarettes. Research suggests this gap may stem from the stressors related to being part of a minority group, such as experiencing discrimination and stigma.
Global Action is proud to support all adults on their unique journeys to quit. Get the facts on the ways that people who smoke can lower their health risks by quitting cigarettes here.
*There is not yet data on smoking rates among lesbian, gay, or bisexual adults around the world. We will update these figures as soon as they become available.
GET TO KNOW OUR GRANTEES
Tobacco harm reduction, much like harm reduction, is a way to introduce alternatives that could help people to diminish the incredible [negative] impacts that combustible tobacco has when people smoke it.
—Global Action grantee Laura Guzman, Executive Director of the National Harm Reduction Coalition.
Tobacco and health around the world
Country snapshot: Japan
In 2022, an estimated 16.2% of the population in Japan smoked cigarettes, including 25.6% of men and 7.3% of women.
- Demand for cigarettes declined by 56% from 82.1 packs per capita in 2010 to 36.2 packs per capita in 2022.
- Tobacco was responsible for about 23.7% of deaths in 2021. Of those deaths, about 9.1% were due to secondhand smoke.
- In 2019, 26.1% of Japanese smokers aged 20 and above reported a desire to quit smoking. Sixty percent reported either a desire to reduce their smoking or did not want to quit.
For references and to view other country profiles, visit our pages on Tobacco and Health Around the World.
Thank you for your support
Give the gift of a healthier tomorrow.
Natasha Toropova was just highlighted in Fortune’s “Most Powerful Women” newsletter for her new position at Global Action to End Smoking.
Global Action is proud to take bold action to find global solutions to end death and disease caused by tobacco, particularly combustible cigarettes. We are one of the only public health groups to embrace tobacco harm reduction as a means of meeting adults who smoke where they are, showing them empathy and respect in their individual cessation journeys, and helping them—if they cannot or will not quit—to reduce their risks of death or disease from combustible cigarettes.
Your support increases the impact our grantees’ work can have on this cause. Together, we can build a future where no one suffers from tobacco-related disease.
Thank you for your support in the fight against smoking.
Get to Know Global Action
Global Action has awarded more than 175 grants to institutions that support the work of over 100 scientists, covering 46 countries on four continents.
Our organization is an independent, U.S. nonprofit 501(c)(3) grantmaking organization whose mission is to end combustible tobacco use, which remains the leading preventable cause of death globally. Through September 2023, Global Action received charitable gifts from PMI Global Services Inc. Global Action does not seek or accept funding from companies that produce tobacco or non-medicinal nicotine products.
To learn more about our work, visit our website.
Disclaimer: This newsletter does not provide medical advice. The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained in this newsletter are for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute providing medical advice or professional services. No material in this newsletter is intended to be a substitute for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease. Those seeking personal medical advice should consult with a licensed physician or other qualified health care provider. Always seek the advice of your licensed physician or other qualified health care provider regarding a medical condition or with any questions you may have regarding treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you read in this newsletter. No physician-patient relationship is created by this newsletter. Global Action doesn’t make representations, express or implied, with respect to the information provided here.