The global health and economic impact of tobacco use is “enormous” and increasingly borne by low- and middle-income countries, according to a 688-page study that chastises governments for not doing more to control smoking

“Effective policy and programmatic interventions are available to reduce the demand for tobacco products and the death, disease, and economic costs that result from their use, but these interventions are underutilized,” states the report by the US National Cancer Institute and World Health Organisation. “There is a strong possibility,” that WHO’s goal of a 30 per cent relative reduction in tobacco use by 2025 will not be met, the report states.
Smoking prevalence is declining around the world but the number of smokers is not decreasing, due mostly to population growth, concludes “The Economics of Tobacco and Tobacco Control.” A summary of the report is available at: https://goo.gl/ZIhUdr