World No Tobacco Day: What is its theme, history and significance

World No Tobacco Day is observed every year on May 31 to spread awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco on health. The aim of this campaign is also to reduce the prevalence of the diseases and deaths due to the consumption of tobacco.  This year, the theme of the World no Tobacco Day is “Protecting youth from industry manipulation and preventing them from tobacco and nicotine use.”

According to the WHO data, around 8 million people die due to tobacco  every year. Tobacco is solely responsible for causing lung diseases and other respiratory disorders including tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) etc. Tobacco consumption also leads to oral and lung cancers. It is to be noted that oral cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers in India. As per Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), tobacco use is responsible for around 30 per cent of all cancers in India. 

In 1987, a resolution was passed by WHO announcing April 7, 1988 as ‘World No Smoking Day’. The WHO took this decision only to motivate people to prevent using tobacco for at least 24 hours. Later in 1988, the global health body passed another resolution announcing that May 31 will be observed as the ‘World No Tobacco day.’ In 2008, WHO banned any kind of advertisement or promotion about tobacco.

Interestingly, India is the second-largest consumer of tobacco. In 1975, Indian government passed the Cigarettes Act, which made it mandatory for the companies to display a statutory warning on cigarette packs and in advertisements too. In 1988, smoking in public vehicle was declared illegal. In 1992, the sale of toothpaste and tooth powder containing tobacco waqs banned in India. In 2003, Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) was passed, thus making it mandatory to display pictorial warning on tobacco products.