World No Tobacco Day is observed on May 31 every year to highlight the risk associated with the use of tobacco. The annual campaign is an opportunity to raise awareness to help reduce use and protect the health of the people.
Every year World No Tobacco is observed with a different theme; this year, the theme of World no Tobacco Day is “Protect The Environment”.
The day is observed to inform the the people on the dangers of using tobacco, the business practices of tobacco companies, what WHO is doing to fight the tobacco epidemic, and what people around the world can do to claim their right to health and healthy living and to protect future generations.
In 1987, the World Health Assembly passed Resolution WHA40.38, calling for 7 April 1988 to be a "a world no-smoking day." In 1988, Resolution WHA42.19 was passed, calling for the celebration of World No Tobacco Day, every year on 31 May.
According to WHO data, Tobacco kills over 8 million people every year and destroys our environment, further harming human health, through cultivation, production, distribution, consumption, and post-consumer waste.
According to WHO, CVDs have caused an estimated 17.9 million deaths each year. As per the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking is a major reason of CVD and causes one of every four deaths from CVDs.
(with sources inputs)
