Number of Smokers in BiH Begins to Worry Experts, Young People Dying from Lung Cancer

In many countries around the world, the  “National Day Without a Cigarette” will be marked today. Activists in BiH will also carry out a series of actions to highlight the harmfulness of smoking, writes the Patria agency.

According to the results of a study conducted by professors from the American University in Washington, BiH is among the countries with the highest number of smokers in Europe, as well as in the world.
Data from the Institute for Public Health of the Federation of BiH indicate that in this BiH entity, almost half of the adult population consumes cigarettes, including every other man and almost every third woman. Therefore, it is not surprising that the number of lung cancer patients in BiH is constantly increasing. 

According to incomplete data, only in the FBiH, about 1,000 people fall ill annually due to cigarettes, and that number could be even higher.

Also, in BiH, smoking is responsible for more than 95 percent of lung cancer cases. What is additionally concerning is that more and more young people in BiH are falling ill with lung cancer, mostly those who start smoking as early as elementary school.

Experts warn that BiH must take urgent steps to reduce the number of smokers in the country. Smoking cannot be a democratic right of people, at least not in public places. First, because a smoker, by smoking, also harms the health of people nearby, and second, because doctors spend millions of KM annually on treating smokers, which most often end up being unsuccessful, writes Patria.