World No Tobacco Day is observed on May 31 to raise annual awareness, highlight the health risks associated with tobacco use and encourage governments to adopt effective policies to quit smoking. The objective is to educate the public about the health risks associated with tobacco use, including smoking and smokeless tobacco products. Consuming tobacco kills over 80 lakh people across the world every year. While the popular belief is that smoking largely affects the lungs because they get directly exposed to inhaled smoke, health experts warned that it also impacts the entire cardiovascular system and causes the environment to degrade.
World No Tobacco Day 2023: Date
Celebrated around the world every year on May 31, World No Tobacco Day was created by the Member States of WHO in 1987.
World No Tobacco Day 2023: Theme
"We Need Food, Not Tobacco" is the theme for this year's World No-Tobacco Day. The 2023 global campaign intends to encourage tobacco growers to produce nutrient-dense, sustainable crops by increasing awareness of alternative crop production and marketing prospects. According to World Health Organisation, across the globe, around 3.5 million hectares of land are converted for tobacco growing each year leading to deforestation of 200,000 hectares a year.
World No Tobacco Day 2023: History, Significance and Facts
Every year, the World Health Organisation honours organisations and government for their efforts and contributions to curbing tobacco use. India runs a National Tobacco Control Programme to educate people about the health implications of it consumption. This year, the WHO has selected Jharkhand for the World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) Award-2022.
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, tobacco use is a major risk factor for the four main Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) -- cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic lung disease and diabetes. Apart from these, smoking tobacco can also affect your gums and lead to several gum-related diseases.
Also, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General said that smokers have up to a 50 per cent higher risk of developing severe disease and death from Covid-19.
About 267 million adults (15 years and above) in India (29% of all adults) use tobacco, according to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey India, 2016-17. The most common form of tobacco use in India is smokeless tobacco and commonly used products are khaini, gutkha, betel quid with tobacco and zarda. Smoking forms of tobacco used are bidi, cigarette and hookah.
