Over the past 20 years since the entry into force of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, there has been a significant reduction in the prevalence of smoking – by one third globally. This was stated by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus during the opening of the 78th session of the General Health Assembly, “RIA Novosti” reports.
“It has been 20 years since the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control entered into force. During this time, smoking prevalence worldwide has fallen by a third, and today there are 300 million fewer smokers than there would have been if prevalence had remained the same,” Ghebreyesus stressed.
According to WHO statistics, tobacco poses a serious threat to human health and is the cause of death for almost half of its consumers. More than 8 million people die annually due to tobacco use, including over 7 million active or former smokers and over 1,2 million non-smokers who suffer from passive smoking.
WHO experts emphasize that any form of tobacco consumption is harmful to health, and there is no safe dose of tobacco.
