Smoking not only sucks the life out of millions of people worldwide, it’s also sucking the life out of the global economy.

Finland plans to completely abolish smoking, starting with a ban on displaying tobacco products and smoking in cars carrying minors.

Finnish State Secretary Ilkka Oksala said the new laws were the start of a move to get rid of tobacco “once and for all."

Although several European countries now ban smoking in public buildings, including restaurants and pubs, Finland would be the first country to adopt a total ban.

New Zealand’s Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) director Ben Youdan said the same approach was needed here.

A new US study warns that those under 55 who have high blood pressure, diabetes, or smoke, “massively” increase their risk of developing dementia.

The health of more than 11,000 people aged 46-70 was analysed for the study, which found that under-55s who smoke increase their risk of dementia by five times, while diabetes will more than triple it reports the BBC.

Forget doing it for your pets. New research suggests offering cold hard cash is the strongest incentive for smokers to kick their dirty habit.

In the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 9000 General Electric employees across the US were recruited for the study, with half of them offered $750 to quit smoking, reports HealthDay News.

After a year, 14.7% of the smokers who were offered cash had stayed healthy, while only 5% of the control group who weren’t paid had managed to stay smoke-free.