World No Tobacco Day 2024: Prioritizing Smokers' Needs in Global Efforts

Every day, people die from smoking-related causes. However, the issue of tobacco addiction often doesn’t receive as much attention, especially during more immediate crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.

World No Tobacco Day aims to reignite the battle against smoking and highlight the especially destructive impact of tobacco on worldwide health.

World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is a global event held every year on May 31. It aims to educate the public about the risks of using tobacco, the marketing strategies of tobacco companies, the World Health Organization’s efforts to combat tobacco use, and what individuals worldwide can do to promote their right to health and well-being and safeguard generations.

The Member States of the WHO established World No Tobacco Day in 1987 to raise worldwide awareness about the tobacco epidemic and the avoidable deaths and illnesses it causes.

The day also aims to highlight the high rates of tobacco use and its harmful health effects, which result in over 8 million deaths annually globally, including 1.2 million from non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.

World No Tobacco Day 2024 will provide a platform for young people worldwide who are asking governments to protect them from aggressive tobacco marketing. The industry focuses on young people to ensure long-term profits, leading to a new wave of addiction.

Children are using e-cigarettes more than adults in all regions, with approximately 37 million youth aged 13-15 using tobacco globally.

Started in 1988 by the WHO, World Tobacco Day has two main goals: helping smokers quit and preventing young people from starting. Since then, there have been numerous efforts to achieve these goals.

Schools have held poster contests, cities and NGOs have organized marches supporting smoke-free laws, and universities have hosted seminars to speed up the adoption of effective policies.

Many of these efforts have led to positive changes. However, along the way, anti-smoking campaigns seem to have overlooked a crucial group they aim to assist: smokers themselves.

With the world facing a new and frightening virus, World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) serves as a reminder that smoking is also a widespread problem. Unlike a virus, there’s no vaccine for smoking. The key to reducing its impact lies in creative solutions that address the needs of smokers themselves.

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