World No Tobacco Day 2023

‘Smoking kills’. You must have seen this message on the big screen while watching a movie or an advertisement. Smoking cigarettes is actually one of the most common and prevalent forms of tobacco use in the world. This caution is well-substantiated, as the effects and consequences of smoking can be ever-lasting such as oral aches, tooth loss, dental cavities, ulceration, and more. To raise awareness about the harmful effects of the cultivation of tobacco crops, including its consumption, the World Health Organisation (WHO) holds World No Tobacco Day every year on May 31. Learn more about this day and its importance in this blog. Continue reading! 

Name of the Day	World No Tobacco Day
Date	May 31
Organisation	World Health Organisation (WHO)
World No Tobacco Day 2023 Day	Wednesday
Theme for 2023	“We need food, Not Tobacco”

Beginning of World No Tobacco Day 

Let’s start with the information on this Day by sharing a glimpse of its history, starting in the year 1987. This was the year when the World Health Assembly of WHO passed a resolution wherein “a world no-smoking day” was proposed to be conducted on April 7, 2023. This was a day that would encourage people who smoke to abstain from tobacco usage for one day, hoping it would help those who are trying to quit smoking. But then another resolution was passed that called for the celebration of World No Tobacco Day on 31 May, every year. This day has since been celebrated, with different themes lamenting its relevance every year.

In fact, one such instance is when in 2008, the theme speak of “Tobacco-free youth, wherein WHO believed that marketing strategies via films and advertisements may attract the youth and called for a worldwide ban on the advertising and promotion of tobacco products. 

Also Read: World Health Day 2023

Theme of World No Tobacco Day 2023

The theme of World No Tobacco Day for 2023 is once again of utmost relevance. You can read what the theme stands for below: 

“We need food, Not Tobacco”

• which conveys the message of the requirement to cultivate more sustainable crops that can help control the food crisis, for which it encourages the governments and tobacco producers to diminish tobacco growing subsidies and use the savings in supporting farmers to grow more nutritious crops. 
• This can be noted in how more than 30 lakh acres of land which are cultivable are used to grow tobacco crops annually worldwide. This is harmful as tobacco farming in itself is said to cause annual deforestation of about 2 lakh hectares.
• Moreover, producing tobacco on cultivable lands causes the land to lose its biodiversity leading to the destruction of the ecosystem. Reduction in soil fertility is also another factor of deforestation, which is caused by the various fertilisers and pesticides which are required to grow tobacco. 

Importance of World No Tobacco Day 

Why must a step such as introducing and dedicating a day such as World No Tobacco Day be taken at such a global scale? What is the importance of this Day? We answer these questions below. 

1. This day is crucial since it plays an important role in spreading awareness and educating people about the various facets of tobacco, from its cultivation to its usage, among wider groups of people all over the world. 
2. Not only that, WHO announces various campaigns and suggestions to governments, encouraging action to end tobacco consumption– which causes more than 1 crore people to die every year. 
3. This day conveys the message to younger people and encourages them to take action against this harmful habit. 
4. This day also brings attention to the tobacco companies and their ways to lure the younger generation to consume tobacco. WHO continues to expose companies such as this, and share awareness of the fatal health effects of tobacco. 
5. Also, this day further encourages the media, social activists and welfare groups to hold sessions on spreading awareness and come together to stand with this cause. 

Also Read: Prevention of Blindness Week

Effects of Tobacco on Health 

For a better understanding of why tobacco is harmful, the below-illustrated information shows you the real researched effects of tobacco on health.  

What You Can Do?

Some of the steps that you can do on this day are:

1. Share information about this day and its cause, and spread awareness!
2. Have a conversation with the younger generation about the harmful effects of e-cigarettes and share facts and figures to substantiate your argument. 
3. Help people who are trying to quit smoking with the right resources and access to treatments. 
4. Attend seminars and sessions yourself to be educated further on this topic. 
5. Talk about it with people from the economically underprivileged sections of society. 

Also Read: World NGO Day

FAQs

That was all about World No Tobacco Day, which is one of WHO’s 11 official global public health campaigns. Stay tuned to Wings by Leverage Edu for more such interesting and informative blogs.