World No Tobacco Day

World No Tobacco Day

The world is marking this Sunday (May 31) the World No Tobacco Day, which was established by the World Health Organisation (WHO) with the purpose of sensitising the largest possible number of people on the risks of consuming tobacco and its by-products. The member states of the World Health Organization created World No Tobacco Day in 1987. It draws global attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and to its negative health effects. The day aims to reduce the 5.4 million yearly deaths from tobacco related health problems. The WHO invites people to reflect on the publishing of warnings in packages on the damages that tobacco causes to health.

The theme of World No Tobacco Day 2009

The theme of World No Tobacco Day 2009 is "Tobacco Health Warnings", with an emphasis on the picture warnings that have been shown to be particularly effective at making people aware of the health risks of tobacco use and convincing them to quit. More and more countries are fighting back against the epidemic of tobacco by requiring that packages of tobacco show the dangers of the product's use, as called for in guidelines to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.