Tobacco is the second major cause of death in the world. It is
currently responsible for the death of one in ten adults
worldwide (about 5 million deaths each year). If current smoking
patterns continue, it will cause some 10 million deaths each
year by 2020. Half the people that smoke today -that is about
650 million people- will eventually be killed by tobacco.
Tobacco is the fourth most common risk factor for disease
worldwide. The economic costs of tobacco use are equally
devastating. In addition to the high public health costs of
treating tobacco-caused diseases, tobacco kills people at the
height of their productivity, depriving families of breadwinners
and nations of a healthy workforce. Tobacco users are also less
productive while they are alive due to increased sickness. A
1994 report estimated that the use of tobacco resulted in an
annual global net loss of US$ 200 thousand million, a third of
this loss being in developing countries.
Tobacco
and poverty are inextricably linked. Many studies have shown that in the
poorest households in some low-income countries as much as 10% of total
household expenditure is on tobacco. This means that these families have
less money to spend on basic items such as food, education and health
care. In addition to its direct health effects, tobacco leads to
malnutrition, increased health care costs and premature death. It also
contributes to a higher illiteracy rate, since money that could have
been used for education is spent on tobacco instead. Tobacco's role in
exacerbating poverty has been largely ignored by researchers in both
fields.
Experience has shown that there are many cost-effective tobacco control
measures that can be used in different settings and that can have a
significant impact on tobacco consumption. The most cost-effective
strategies are population-wide public policies, like bans on direct and
indirect tobacco advertising, tobacco tax and price increases,
smoke-free environments in all public and workplaces, and large clear
graphic health messages on tobacco packaging.
