In total, tobacco causes about 550,000 deaths in the USA each year. Worldwide, it kills 8.7 million people annually, mostly claiming the lives of smokers but also 1.3 million people who simply inhaled the smoke secondhand. In low-income countries, tobacco kills half a million people, and in lower-middle-income countries, it causes 2.6 million annual deaths. The research paper finds two very effective ways to reduce the death toll from smoking. One is through a simple tobacco tax. The other is tobacco regulation, which can include bans on advertising and smoking in public places. Both produce
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