New Delhi: The use of tobacco continues to have a negative impact on world health, contributing to a number of diseases, including cancer. The annual celebration of World No Tobacco Day on May 31 provides a vital forum for bringing the global community together to promote the quitting of smoking and raise awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco usage. The first World No Tobacco Day was observed in 1988, to raise awareness of the global tobacco pandemic and the fatalities it causes
World No Tobacco Day 2023: History
The World Health Organisation adopted a resolution in 1987, calling for the establishment of a worldwide commemoration day for the reduction of tobacco consumption. For the first year in 1988, the theme for World No Tobacco Day was chosen as ‘Tobacco or Health: Choose Health’. According to the WHO, tobacco smoking and its negative effects cause more than 8 million deaths globally each year. 1.2 million of these 8 million deaths are attributable to secondhand smoke exposure among nonsmokers.
World No Tobacco Day 2023: Significance
On this day, it is important to stress the value of no smoking and to help individuals who want to make the switch to a smoke-free life. This annual event aims to educate people about the risks of tobacco use as well as the business practises of the tobacco industry, what the WHO is doing to combat the tobacco epidemic, and what individuals can do to assert their right to health and a healthy lifestyle as well as to protect future generations.
World No Tobacco Day 2023: Theme
The World No Tobacco Day theme for this year is ‘We Need Food, Not Tobacco.’ On Wednesday, the WHO and other international public health groups will join forces to commemorate the day and deliver a message along similar lines.
According to WHO, the 2023 global campaign aims to raise awareness about alternative crop production and marketing opportunities for tobacco farmers and encourage them to grow sustainable, nutritious crops. It also aims to expose the tobacco industry’s efforts to interfere with attempts to substitute tobacco growing with sustainable crops, thereby contributing to the global food crisis.