Have you ever tried to count to 1 billion? It will take some time, isn’t it? Now try to imagine that in the next century tobacco will kill one billion people worldwide, if the governments fail to adopt more aggressive measures to fight the smoking addiction.

This is one of the conclusions of the WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic.

According to WHO, the governments around the world collect more than $200 billion in tobacco taxes every year but spend less than one fifth of 1 percent of that revenue on tobacco control.

"We hold in our hands the solution to the global tobacco epidemic that threatens the lives of one billion men, women and children during this century," WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan said.

The report released by WHO concluded that only 5% of the global population is protected by comprehensive national smoke-free legislation and 40% of countries still allow smoking in hospitals and schools. In addition, only 5% of the world’s population lives in countries with comprehensive national bans on tobacco advertising and promotion.

WHO also said that the first step in fighting against tobacco plague, should be the implementation of the six MPOWER strategies, as follows monitor tobacco use and prevention policies, protect people from tobacco smoke, offer help to quit tobacco use, warn about the dangers of tobacco, enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship and raise taxes on tobacco.

“While efforts to combat tobacco are gaining momentum, virtually every country needs to do more. These six strategies are within the reach of every country, rich or poor and, when combined as a package, they offer us the best chance of reversing this growing epidemic,” said Dr Margaret Chan.

Unfortunately, of the 150 governments that signed a convention on tobacco control in 2005, not even one has fully implemented measures to fight the annual 5.4 million tobacco-related deaths, the World Health Organization said Thursday.

The report also documents the epidemic's shift to the developing world, where 80% of the more than eight million annual tobacco-related deaths projected by 2030 are expected to occur.

This shift, the report says, results from a global tobacco industry strategy to target young people and adults in the developing world, ensuring that millions of people become fatally addicted every year. The targeting of young women in particular is highlighted as one of the “most ominous potential developments of the epidemic’s growth".

Last month, a report released by the American Lung Association’s State of Tobacco Control about the federal government’s handling of smoking-prevention programs concluded that funding is still insufficient and regulations lacking.
The report gave a majority of poor grades, Ds and Fs, to the federal government and states, asserting that too little is being spent on anti-smoking programs and that there are still states to increase their taxes on cigarettes and restrict smoking in public places.
“Twenty-one states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have now approved comprehensive smoke-free air legislation,” were some of the appreciations to be found in the report.
The report urged Congress once again to allow the Food and Drug Administration to regulate cigarettes.
It also said half of the states lack laws to prevent secondhand smoke, while cigarette taxes are below the national average of $1.11 in 28 states and the District of Columbia.