The World Heath Organization said Wednesday, “Tobacco use kills at least 5 million people every year, a figure that could rise if countries don't take stronger measures to combat smoking” (12/11, M.Cheng, AP London for FindLaw).
This is a world-wide problem as a new WHO report on tobacco use and control, “said nearly 95 percent of the global population is unprotected by laws banning smoking. WHO said secondhand smoking kills about 600,000 people every year. The report describes countries' various strategies to curb smoking, including protecting people from smoke, enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, and raising taxes on tobacco products. Those were included in a package of six strategies WHO unveiled last year, but less than 10 percent of the world's population is covered by any single measure.”
As an Chicago attorney who specializes in personal injury cases, and who has seen many tobacco related cases, I fully support the WHO in their mission to tackle tobacco problems world-wide. As Doublas Bettcher, director of WHO's Tobacco-Free Initiative, said, “People need more than to be told that tobacco is bad for human health…they need their governments to implement the WHO Framework Convention.”
