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Preface

ENSP envisions a tobacco free future, in which no European will In this context, there is an increasing consensus that tobacco
have to suffer from tobacco related illnesses and early death. All dependence is a disease that must be treated by health care
our constant efforts are concentrated towards providing children professionals. All health care professionals must understand
and young people the freedom to grow up independently and in that tobacco use is a medical condition, an ICD-10 addiction, and
good health, without being coaxed into a lifetime of addiction. not a habit, vice, pleasure or lifestyle choice.
Tobacco use not only constitutes a great addiction, but is also
a fatal trap from which we want to help smokers escape. Our Cessation interventions have a more mid-term impact on
aim hence is to establish a wider coherence among smoking the number of deaths and therefore must be encouraged.
prevention activities, as well as promoting comprehensive As explained in the World Bank report Curbing the epidemic:
tobacco control policies at a European and at the individual Governments and the economics of tobacco control, if smoking
national level. initiation is reduced by 50% by 2020, the number of deaths from
tobacco will decrease from 520 to around 500 million in 2050. On
According to the Eurobarometer survey published in 2015i, the other hand, if half of the current smokers quit by 2020, the
almost a quarter (26%) of Europeans above the age of 15 smoke number of deaths from smoking would be reduced from 520 to
and 33% within the 25 to 39 age group are smokers. Tobacco 340 million in 2050 (Figure 1).
kills half of its regular users, i.e. 700,000 Europeans every year .
1

Figure 1: Unless current smokers quit, tobacco deaths will rise dramatically in the next 50 years. Estimated cumulative
deaths 1950-2050 with different intervention strategies. (Source: The World Bank)

600 Baseline
520
If proportion of young adultstaking up
500 smoking halves by 2020 500
If adult consumption halves by 2020
400
340

300 220
Tobacco deaths (millions) 200 70 190

100
0
0
1950 2000 2025 2050

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