About 1.3 million people d!e from second-hand smoke every year

Today, 79 countries have implemented comprehensive smoke-free laws, according to a World Health Organisation report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2025.

The report released at the World Conference on Tobacco Control in Dublin on Monday, warned that action is needed to maintain and accelerate progress in tobacco control as rising industry interference challenges tobacco policies and control efforts.

The report focuses on the six proven WHO MPOWER tobacco control measures to reduce tobacco use, which claims over seven million lives a year:

The WHO MPOWER initiative is monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies; protecting people from tobacco smoke through smoke-free air legislation; offering help to quit tobacco use; warning about the dangers of tobacco with pack labels and mass media; enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship; and raising taxes on tobacco.

It said since 2007, 155 countries have implemented at least one of the WHO MPOWER tobacco control measures to reduce tobacco use at best-practice level.

“Today, over 6.1 billion people, three-quarters of the world’s population, are protected by at least one such policy, compared to just one billion in 2007. Four countries have implemented the full MPOWER package: Brazil, Mauritius, the Netherlands (Kingdom of the), and Türkiye.

“Seven countries are just one measure away from achieving the full implementation of the MPOWER package, signifying the highest level of tobacco control, including Ethiopia, Ireland, Jordan, Mexico, New Zealand, Slovenia and Spain,” it noted.

However, there are major gaps as 40 countries still have no MPOWER measure at best-practice level and more than 30 countries allow cigarette sales without mandatory health warnings.