In view of the tens of thousands of deaths caused by smoking every year, the Federal Drug Commissioner, Burkhard Blienert, has announced that he will step up his efforts to combat tobacco consumption. “We need to do more to discourage people from starting to smoke in the first place,” Blienert said in light of World Lung Cancer Day on August 1, according to a statement.
With more than 127,000 tobacco-related deaths per year in Germany alone, tobacco consumption is still the greatest avoidable health risk of all. About 90 percent of all lung cancer cases are due to smoking. Since the corona pandemic, more people have been using cigarettes and e-cigarettes again. Blienert spoke out in favor of certain bans, including on advertising directly at the point of sale and on sponsorship of festivals by the nicotine industry.
