Statement of the European Respiratory Society on the tobacco endgame

Extract Tobacco dependence remains among the leading preventable causes of premature death and disability, killing 700 000 people across Europe each year, and more than 8 million people worldwide [1–3]. Smoking and second-hand smoke exposure also cost the global economy around 2 trillion USD annually through loss of productivity and direct costs of addressing tobacco harms [4]. The tobacco product life cycle also produces substantial environmental harms [5].