According to the World Health Organization, smoking kills up to 5 million people each year around the world.
Tobacco use is the number 1 preventable cause of death in the world, and according to the WHO, millions of people are at risk of suffering the ill effects of the act of smoking.
They state that up to 95% of the world population is not protected by any form of smoking laws, a fact that puts millions of unsuspecting people at risk of early death.
The report paints a grim picture when
light it comes to the future, forecasting that by 2030 up to 8 million deaths a year will be the direct cause of tobacco products.
Not only are those who smoke at risk of death, but those breathing in second hand smoke are also being put in grave danger.
The report says that each year, up to 600,000 deaths are caused by people breathing in second hand smoke, a number that is also projected to increase in the years to come.
“People need more than to be told that
light tobacco is bad for human health,” said Douglas Bettcher, director of WHO’s Tobacco-Free Initiative. “They need their governments to implement the WHO Framework Convention.”
