The World Health Organization (WHO) called for global action against the tobacco industry as it marked World No Tobacco Day.
The UN agency said this included implementing measures like taxation, marketing bans and plain packaging.
According to a new WHO report, tobacco use has declined since 2000, but “the reduction is insufficient to meet globally agreed targets aimed at protecting people from death and suffering from cardiovascular and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs)”.
Over half of all WHO member states have reduced demand for tobacco and almost one in eight countries are likely to meet the target of a 30 percent reduction in tobacco use by 2025, the report said, but much more needs to be done.
“We know what policies and actions can increase tobacco quit rates, prevent people from starting using tobacco and reduce demand,” said Dr. Svetlana Axelrod, the WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health.
“We must overcome obstacles to implementing measures like taxation, marketing bans and implementing plain packaging. Our best chance of success is through global unity and strong multisectoral action against the tobacco industry,” Axelrod said.
Developing countries
Over 80 percent of tobacco smokers live in low- and middle-income countries and the number of smokers is on the rise in low-income countries, the report said.
The report highlighted the link between tobacco and cardiovascular diseases – the world’s leading causes of death – which are responsible for 44 percent of all NCD deaths, or 17.9 million deaths annually.
“Tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure are major causes of cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks and stroke, contributing to approximately 3 million deaths per year. But evidence reveals a serious lack of knowledge of the multiple health risks associated with tobacco,” the report said.
[adrotate banner=”26″]
