The theme of No Tobacco Day this year is “We want food, not tobacco”.
World No Tobacco Day is observed on 31 May to spread awareness about the adverse effects of tobacco consumption. The day also aims to encourage people to quit tobacco and lead a healthy life.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco claims the lives of half of its users and kills more than eight million people every year.
World No Tobacco Day 2023 Theme
The theme of this year’s No Tobacco Day is “We need food, not tobacco”. The global campaign is set to promote alternative crop production and marketing opportunities among tobacco farmers. It aims to encourage people involved in tobacco production to grow sustainable and nutritious crops. The campaign is also an attempt to “highlight the efforts of the tobacco industry to interfere with efforts to replace growing tobacco with sustainable crops, thereby contributing to the global food crisis”.
History
World No Tobacco Day was established in 1987 by member states of the World Health Organization with the aim of drawing global attention to the “tobacco epidemic and the deaths and diseases it causes”. In 1987 a resolution was passed by the World Health Assembly following which the WHO announced that May 31 would be observed as World No Tobacco Day.
Importance
Tobacco use is associated with a number of health issues, including increased risk of heart disease, digestive problems, skin cancer, oral cancer, stained teeth, cataracts, macular degeneration, and psychiatric disorders.
Tobacco smoking affects not only the user but also the people around who are exposed to secondhand smoke. Not only smoking but consumption of tobacco in any form can adversely affect human health. However, cigarette smoking remains the most common form of tobacco use globally.
Tobacco also plays a role in increasing food insecurity, as according to the WHO, about 3.5 million hectares of land is used to grow tobacco each year. Tobacco production also leads to deforestation and damages the environment.