How to prevent 6m deaths a year

Nearly six million people still die each year from tobacco-related illnesses. To stop this disaster, a number steps are being considered.
“Higher taxation, above anything else, is the most efficient way to stop people from taking up smoking, particularly young people,” said WHO's Dr Ayda Yurekli, who is helping spearhead the campaign. “Plain packaging is an efficient tool … but higher taxation is still the best preventative.”
Based on 2012 figures, WHO estimates that by increasing tobacco taxes by 50 per cent, countries would reduce the global number of smokers by 49 million within the next three years and potentially save 11 million lives. It found that increasing tobacco prices by just 10 per cent cut tobacco consumption by about 4 per cent in high-income countries and by up to 8 per cent in low and middle-income countries.
The French government is to bring in a new range of anti-tobacco policies next month. The law is expected to include rules requiring manufacturers to stop printing their logos on packets, and to have the brand written in small letters under a prominent health warning covering at least 65 per cent of the packet.
The state government in Delhi has also said it is looking at measures to help reduce smoking, including  a ban on the sale of chewing tobacco, and the possibility of designating a day at the end of each month on which no tobacco products can be sold.