Posted on 01/17/2024 2:22:02 PM PST by nickcarraway
The number of adult tobacco users has dropped steadily in recent years, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, but it warned Big Tobacco is working hard to reverse that trend.
In 2022, about one-in-five adults around the world were smokers or consumed other tobacco products, compared to one-in-every-three in 2000, the United Nations health agency said.
A fresh report looking at trends in the prevalence of tobacco use between 2000 and 2030 showed that 150 countries were successfully reducing it, the WHO said.
Caution advised But while smoking rates are declining in most countries, the WHO warned that tobacco-related deaths were expected to remain high for years to come.
Currently, tobacco use is still estimated to kill more than eight million people each year, including an estimated 1.3 million non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke, WHO statistics show.
"Countries implementing strong tobacco control measures can expect to wait about 30 years between turning the prevalence rate from increasing to decreasing and seeing an associated turnaround in the number of deaths due to tobacco," Tuesday's report said.
And while the number of smokers has steadily shrunk, the WHO said the world was set to miss its goal of a 30-percent drop in tobacco use between 2010 and 2025.
Fifty-six countries around the world are expected to hit that target, including Brazil, which has already slashed tobacco use by 35 percent since 2010.
Six countries have seen tobacco use rise since 2010 -- the Republic of Congo, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Moldova and Oman.
Overall, the world is on track to shrink tobacco use by a quarter over the 15-year period to 2025, the report said.
Big Tobacco not sitting idly by While celebrating the advances that have been made, the WHO warned that the tobacco industry was intent on rolling them back.
"Good progress has been made in tobacco control in recent years but there is no time for complacency," said Ruediger Krech, director of the WHO's health promotion department.
"I'm astounded at the depths the tobacco industry will go to pursue profits at the expense of countless lives," he said.
"We see that the minute a government thinks they have won the fight against tobacco, the tobacco industry seizes the opportunity to manipulate health policies and sell their deadly products."
The WHO urged all countries to maintain and strengthen control policies and to fight "tobacco industry interference".
A particular focus, it said, should be on gathering better data on tobacco use among adolescents, especially for newer so-called smokeless products.
The report said that on average, around 10 percent of 13- to 15-year-olds globally use one or more types of tobacco.
That amounts to at least 37 million adolescents, including at least 12 million who use new smokeless tobacco products.
But the report stressed these numbers were an underestimate since more than 70 countries provide no data.
This was worrying because "countries need these data to counter tobacco and associated industries' claims that adolescents are not being targeted as new clients," it said.
The available data suggests the industry attempts to undermine countries' efforts to dissuade young people from using tobacco products.
"Young people are still reporting regular use of the products, easy access to purchasing them and low concerns about becoming addicted," the report said.
"Gathering data from adolescents on their knowledge, attitudes and practices is the most powerful way to combat the industry and shape effective policies that prevent initiation of tobacco use."
California makes more money off tobacco than any tobacco company. California will benefit from getting more kids to smoke.
That’s because they’re smoking dope instead.
Camel should bring out their Turkish blend again, with Turkish weed.
As Rush had said, “They are hero citizens for paying all of those taxes.”
The world was a better place when more people smoked tobacco.
That is not a comment about how tobacco is in any way “good”.
It is a comment about how our government decided that it should have the power to have total control over all of the tiny decisions you make every day about how you want to live your life. The control you see all around you accelerated greatly when the government decided that tobacco was “bad”.
WHO can go fsck themselves.
Smoking is a nasty habit but the country went down hill when they started to ban it every where.
It took the government decades to get people to stop smoking cigarettes and now they are pushing for pot legalization. I guess they need the tax money.
Let’s inhale smoke into our lungs. Single dumbest idea ever.
I just looked up the cost of cigarettes. Wow. Almost 100.00 for a carton? As much as I miss the nasty habit, I’m glad I quit.
And a stoned, imbecilic; easily led populace!
“”As Rush had said, “They are hero citizens for paying all of those taxes.””
And, when the democRATS tied some of the cigarette taxes to children’s Healthcare, Rush loved to point out that every smoker is “for the children.”
Rush would also say, well if it is that bad, just ban it. But, noooooo! $$$$
I still have some of Grand dad’s pipe tobacco that I keep in an old, tight humidor. I like to put a pinch in his old ashtray and light it with a torch. It has a great smell.
Now state and federal government makes trillions on tobacco, so they need more people to smoke.
Exactly. I’ve also noticed a big push for psilocybin and ecstasy used as therapy. Not to discount possible benefits, but it is always interesting how these new amazing therapeutic drugs are intoxicating, not benign.
The World Hate Organization is a much more serious threat.
Before smoking was banned everywhere on earth, my family would walk into a restaurant, and if it smelled of smoke I’d tell my daughters...”what you’re smelling is freedom”. “It’s our choice whether to stay or leave”. We’d leave but I got my point across. The restaurant made a choice to allow smokers and every patron has a choice to leave or stay. Very simple.
It can’t be falling too much. I still manage to find cigarette butts in my yard. Grrr...
I was just saying earlier today we need to take up smoking and getting drunk for lunch again.
Not really. The government and feminists forced smoking on us.
These so called “therapeutic drugs” are certainly NOT “benign” and the possibility of addiction overrides whatever minor benefit, if truly any, they might bestow.
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