Citing examples such as raising taxes and require health warnings, the 330-page report released by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the WHO, said that mandates that may decrease the number of smokers are not being fully implemented by any country.
The organization called tobacco use an "epidemic", and has caused the deaths of 5.4 million people each year due to health complications. The report furthered predicted about eight million deaths will occur by 2030, 80 percent of them coming from developing countries.
"We hold in our hands the solution to the global tobacco epidemic that threatens the lives of one billion men, women and children during this century," read the foreword written by WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chang.
A copy of the report obtained from the WHO website estimated that 2008 will see about 5 million tobacco-related deaths. With it being "the only legal consumer product that can harm everyone exposed to it," tobacco is still commonly used due to its low price, aggressive marketing, and lack of awareness about its effects. The report also cited poor government policy to be a factor.
According to eFluxMedia, a 2005 convention signed by 150 governments with the intention of controlling the spread and use of tobacco, had not been followed up by action to prevent tobacco-related deaths.
A report released last year by the American Lung Association's State of Tobacco Control concluded that insufficient funding and lack of appropriate leadership crippled potential successes of tobacco-prevention programs.
The report assessed that not enough is being spent on anti-smoking campaigns, and some states were yet to launch programs and regulations to address the problem.
