We have reached the point where the excuses used to justify inaction or delay are no longer acceptable. We do not have the luxury of time. Tobacco products are killing 3 million people each year. That translates into one death every ten seconds.
Tobacco is also an unnecessary and expensive drain on the world's financial resources.
At a time of economic crises, governments have to spend billions of dollars to treat tobacco-related diseases, while additional billions are wasted when productive lives are cut short by tobacco use. The crisis in public health in our country is aggravated by smokers who fall ill and die prematurely from the diseases associated with smoking. However, dealing with the negative impact of tobacco use on health is not like dealing with other public health problems. The risks of tobacco use are underestimated by the public, and even by many of those who are responsible for protecting and promoting public health. For these reasons, lenient tobacco policies have been allowed to continue in many countries.