WHO report: Smoking to kill 8 million yearly?

Courtesy - Harry Ndienla Yemti

Government urge to considerably step up taxation on the tobacco industry in bid to check creepy smoking trends

A new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that smoking may provoke 8 million deaths annually around the world by 2030 if sweeping measures are not urgently engaged. It should be noted here that Tobacco consumption is currently responsible for some
4.9 million deaths yearly, according to the world health body.
WHO director, Dr. Margaret Chan, regretted at the 14 February publication of the “exhaustive analysis” of the global anti-smoking situation that too little was being done to reverse prevailing trends. On the other hand, only about 5 percent of the world’s population is currently protected by anti-smoking legislation
In about 40 percent of countries of the world, and especially in developing countries, smoking is still allowed in schools and hospitals! In Cameroon for example, the law banning the advertisement of cigarettes and smoking in public are far from being implemented.
And the situation is further compounded by the fact that tobacco industries globally generate fiscal revenue estimated at more than 500 times the amount disbursed by governments and other public entities for anti- smoking campaigns. Inter alia, the report recommends the urgent search
for new and durable financing source and strategies to help discourage smoking around the world.
It also urges governments to considerably swell taxes on the tobacco industry in their various countries. Such a move would provoke hikes in the costs of tobacco products and possibly contribute towards the campaign to dissuade people from taking up the habits or those already hooked up with smoking to quit. However, it remains to be seen if such recommendations
would be embrace in a country like Cameroon where public advertising and promotion of cigarette products is routine.
Through a project dubbed MPOWER, the WHO is still hoping to beef up the fight. MPOWER seeks to monitor consumption trends, strategise on prevention mechanisms, and assist persons willing to drop the habit, prohibit advertising and generally ameliorate
dissuasive strides.
Even so, and due to a certain lackluster approach to the problem by mostly governments in developing countries, many people and especially youth and women are aggressively being targeted by the tobacco industry that is shifting attention from Europe and America where many are increasing giving up smoking.