71% of the world population is protected in some way with some type of anti-smoking measure. This is five times more than in 2007, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). In total, some 5.6 billion people have some form of public health measure that acts as a shield.
This organization’s report on the global tobacco epidemic, produced in collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies, focuses on protect the public from passive consumptionhighlighting that nearly 40% of countries now have completely smoke-free indoor public spaces.
One of the most pressing problems today is the new ways of smoking. Products that are disguise as substitutes for traditional cigarettes, which contain nicotine, which is the most addictive substance in tobacco, and have a direct impact on those who consume them the most: young people under 20 years of age.
The WHO report warns that the early use of e-cigarettes may push adolescents and children to become traditional smokers in the future. Regulation of these products is much higher in developed countries. 85% of them have implemented measures to limit their use (in Spain it is a pending issue) than in developing countries, where only 40% of countries have regulations of this type.
The WHO is particularly concerned by the fact that companies that market electronic cigarettes are using tactics to reach the youngest consumers and even children. For this reason, it calls for more measures to be taken to prevent the use of flavorings and flavorings in electronic cigarettes, something that had only been carried out by four States until 2022.