The global fight against tobacco use has made progress, but the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the battle is far from over. According to a new WHO report, one in five adults worldwide, representing hundreds of millions of people, still smoke tobacco, highlighting a persistent public health challenge despite years of anti-smoking campaigns.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged that global tobacco control efforts have saved millions of lives, yet warned that the tobacco industry is adapting quickly by marketing new nicotine products such as e-cigarettes and vapes, particularly to young people. “We’ve made remarkable progress, but the tobacco industry continues to push new products designed to addict another generation,” Tedros said.
The report found that while traditional cigarette smoking has declined globally over the past two decades, the rise of electronic nicotine delivery systems threatens to reverse the trend. More than 100 million people are now using vaping products, including at least 15 million adolescents — with youth vaping rates reportedly nine times higher than adult rates. Public health experts say this shift represents a “new front” in the global tobacco epidemic.
WHO’s data shows that tobacco use continues to kill more than 8 million people every year, including over 1 million from exposure to secondhand smoke. Smoking remains a leading cause of preventable diseases such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, and chronic respiratory illness. The report also warns that tobacco consumption places immense strain on health systems, drains economic productivity, and deepens poverty, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where tobacco control policies are often weaker.
In response, WHO is urging governments to strengthen tobacco control regulations by expanding taxes, enforcing advertising bans, implementing plain packaging, and tightening restrictions on emerging nicotine products. The agency emphasized that vaping and e-cigarettes should not be viewed as safe alternatives to smoking. “Nicotine is highly addictive, regardless of how it is delivered,” the report stated. “The industry’s claims of harm reduction are misleading and risk undoing decades of progress.”
The organization praised countries such as Brazil, Turkey, and the Philippines for implementing strong anti-tobacco laws and achieving significant reductions in smoking rates. However, it warned that progress remains uneven, with some nations relaxing restrictions under pressure from tobacco lobbyists and e-cigarette manufacturers.
Tedros called on policymakers to act decisively: “We cannot allow the next generation to fall victim to the same tactics that hooked millions in the past. Every government must prioritize public health over industry profits.”
Public health advocates say the new report underscores an urgent need to adapt anti-tobacco strategies to address both traditional and emerging nicotine products. They argue that education, regulation, and taxation, combined with international cooperation, remain the most effective tools for ending the global tobacco epidemic.
While smoking may no longer define mainstream culture as it once did, the WHO’s warning makes clear that the fight for a smoke-free world is far from finished.
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