Oncologist David Hamilton says it’s a tragedy that 5000 New Zealanders die each year because of tobacco use. Speaking in support of the new smokefree education approach Face the Facts, Dr Hamilton says people have difficulty comprehending such a large number of needless deaths. “Five thousand people dying each year from tobacco use is the equivalent of losing a town about the size of Kaitaia or Alexandra. It’s 14 passenger-laden 747s crashing each year, with full loss of life. “Unnecessary suffering and loss of life on this scale is terrible – especially as the cause of these deaths can be avoided.” Dr Hamilton, who works at Wellington Hospital, says he loses patients every week – sometimes several a week – to smoking-related cancers. “I’ve seen patients with lung cancer aged from in their 20’s up to their 90’s. Most patients with smoking-related cancers are 40 upwards – people who should still have decades of life left, but instead face leaving behind friends and family, much too early.” Face the Facts, developed by the Health Sponsorship Council and the Ministry of Health, presents six stark facts about smoking: