the present dayReputable sourceWell documented
Tobacco Today: A Preventable Epidemic
On the timeline · around the present day ·
What happened
Smoking rates have fallen sharply in many wealthy countries, and some nations are pursuing 'endgame' policies to phase cigarettes out entirely. Yet tobacco still kills more than 8 million people a year worldwide, and use is rising in parts of the developing world.
Why it matters
Tobacco remains the world's leading cause of preventable death — the deadly legacy of a plant that took just five centuries to conquer the globe.
Sources
- World Health Organization. Tobacco (fact sheet) · Reputable source