Anti-tobacco strategies and policies: the missing strategy

Abstract

Globally, smoking represents the leading risk factor for early death and disability worldwide. Since 1990, smoking has claimed more than 7 million lives each year and its contribution to the burden of disease globally continues to grow, with greater emphasis on lower income countries. The negative effects of smoking extend far beyond individual and collective health, as billions of dollars lost in productivity and health expenditures are related to tobacco use (1,2)