(KPL) Tobacco kills 6,700 people per year or 18 people per day across the country.

The deaths caused by smoking accounts for 15% of the total deaths reported in the Lao PDR.

Smoking and secondhand smoking is the cause of serious illness, disabilities and premature deaths.

Those with diseases caused by tobacco have higher expenses for medical treatment. At the national level, the annual expense on medical treatment for patients with smoking- caused diseases is estimated at 3.6 trillion kip, or about 2.3% of the country’s GDP.

Smoking-related deaths can be prevented if there are effective tobacco control measures, such as increasing tobacco taxes, banning all forms of tobacco advertisement, making workplaces and public places smoke-free, and educating the public about the harms of smoking and exposure to tobacco smokes,” Minister of Health Bounfeng Phoummalaysith said on May 17.

Warning pictures and labels for tobacco products of some producers are yet to comply with the law, according to the minister.

From December 2024 onward, all tobacco products sold in the market nationwide, including at duty-free shops, must have health warning pictures in a ratio of 75% of the packaging as stated by the Ministry of Health.

This year World No Tobacco Day and the National No Tobacco Day will be celebrated around the theme 'Protecting children from tobacco industry interference'.

The focus is on mobilising international efforts to enact stronger regulations that shield youth from harmful tobacco products and deceptive advertising practices.

KPL