The smoking habit is one of the most serious public health problems in modern human societies.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and many Scientific/Medical Societies, smoking is a serious chronic disease and the smoker is a patient who needs frequent medical intervention.

Tobacco use is associated with a variety of diseases and disability resulting in reduced quality of life and high social costs, including medical costs and reduced economic productivity. Smoking is not only harmful to smokers, but is also a major risk factor for passive smokers, as Professor D. Trihopoulos has shown since 1981.

Addictive smoking is the leading cause of early but preventable mortality in the developed world. Smoking increases the incidence of serious diseases, but it also increases mortality from these diseases.

The main and most common ones are:

-Coronary artery disease (heart attacks)

-Cancer (lung, larynx, bladder, etc. )

-Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

-Vascular brain diseases (strokes)

while increasing infant mortality and causing fetal complications during pregnancy.

Every year, more than 19,000 Greeks die from smoking.

By way of illustration, we can cite some "dangerous" examples of the documented harmful effect of smoking on mortality. A 25-year-old person who smokes a pack a day will live 4. 6 years less than expected! If he smokes 2 packs a day he will live less than 8. 3 years! Starting smoking at age 15 reduces life expectancy by 8 years! Starting at 25 results in a reduction in life expectancy of 4 years!

It is clear to health professionals and citizens alike that tackling smoking is a complex problem. Apart from the organic damage it causes to various systems of the human body, smoking is a habit that is difficult to kick. The development of strategies with international and interdisciplinary cooperation is therefore required. The aim is to "cure" those who already smoke, while discouraging non-smokers from taking up smoking.

Greece has low rates of childhood and adolescent smoking, in contrast to disappointingly high rates among adults. At the same time, smoking rates among 17-18 year olds are among the highest in Europe. There is therefore a need to emphasise the importance of education and public health policy to prevent tobacco use, especially during adolescence. In Greece, young adults aged between 18 and 22 years tend to use tobacco products on a daily basis. These people should be discouraged from taking up smoking.

A complete ban on all tobacco advertising and sponsorship is required for all Parties within five years of ratifying the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (W. H. O. FCTC). Statistics show that a complete ban on advertising leads to a reduction in the number of people starting or continuing to smoke and that banning tobacco advertising and sponsorship is economically one of the most effective ways to reduce tobacco demand and thus control the market for tobacco products.

Health professionals can and should be leaders in the fight against smoking.