Medical Minute: Tobacco Report

Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths, according to world health officials.

Efforts to stop tobacco use have been seeing some success, but as the United Nations is pointing out, there is still a long way to go.

The World Health Organization released a new report on Monday highlighting tobacco's deadly impact.

"Tobacco use continues to be one of the biggest public health threats, with 8.7 million people dying from tobacco-related diseases every year," said Dr. Ruediger Krech, WHO's health promotion director. "1.3 million of these deaths are amongst non-smokers that are subjected to secondhand smoke."

The UN report also reported 1.3 billion tobacco users around the world, which makes up about one in every five people. Around 80% of them live in low- and middle-income countries while tobacco kills up to half of its users.

In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that in 2021, around 28 million American adults smoked while more than 16 million Americans live with a smoking related disease.

The WHO says the fight to end tobacco use hasn't been easy.

"The tobacco industry is a powerful and resourceful industry, which even today continues to grow in terms of profit and influence," said Dr. Ruediger Krech, WHO's health promotion director.

But the WHO pointed to progress in their report with a 5% drop in the number of smokers over the last two decades.

It credited its MPOWER Program, which is a series of anti-tobacco efforts countries can use like highlighting the risks of smoking, helping people quit, and raising taxes on tobacco.

The WHO says roughly 70% of the world's population is now protected by at least one of these measures.

It adds that they not only help nations reduce healthcare costs but having them in place can also save lives.