A huge chunk of the Health Ministry’s fund goes towards treating smoking-related diseases, said Health Minister Seyed Hassan Hashemi. Nearly 50 million cigarettes are smoked annually in the country, Alef News Agency quoted him as saying. “Given the rising number of tobacco users and deaths in the country, serious measures should be taken to control tobacco consumption,” he stressed. Smoking is the leading cause of 90% of respiratory diseases, 80% of chronic bronchitis and 25% of total health complications in Iran.
