Globally, smoking produces more than $1 trillion in healthcare costs and lost productivity every year, according to a new study by the World Health Organization and the U.S. National Cancer Institute.
Here are four things to know.
1. The economic cost of smoking far surpasses global revenues from tobacco taxes, which the WHO estimated at around $269 billion for 2013 to 2014, reports Reuters.
2. Researchers expect the economic costs associated with smoking to rise.
3. The number of tobacco-related deaths is also projected to increase from about 6 million deaths annually to about 8 million by 2030, with 80 percent of these fatalities occurring in low- and middle-income countries, according to the study.
4. While governments have the tools to reduce tobacco use and tobacco related deaths, many fail to use the tools effectively and fear tobacco control would produce an adverse economic impact, according to the report.
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