World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is observed around the world every year on 31 May. This yearly celebration informs the public on the dangers of using tobacco, the business practices of tobacco companies, what the World Health Organization (WHO) is doing to fight against the use of tobacco, and what people around the world can do to claim their right to health and healthy living and to protect future generations.
Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States, including more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure. This is about one in five deaths annually, or 1,300 deaths every day. On average, smokers die 10 years earlier than nonsmokers.
Smoking can cause lung disease by damaging your airways and the small air sacs (alveoli) found in your lungs. Lung diseases caused by smoking include COPD, which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Cigarette smoking causes most cases of lung cancer.
I wish we could do something useful with tobacco – Like making fertilizer out of it – Paul Dudley White
Smoking has long been a habit so many of us would like to kick, but it is something that has proven to be difficult. The good news is that in recent times there has been more of a focus on people quitting smoking, and societies trying to go smoke-free. This is something that businesses and establishments have embraced, and it has helped with a surge in the number of people giving up smoking, but there are still a lot of people with a smoking habit.
We see it every day, people standing outside in the rain huddled over a burning stick of foul tobacco. The stench gets into their clothes, stains their teeth, and permeates the air around them. Every moment of every day is spent waiting for that next nicotine break, their obsession, and taste for disgusting habits only being eclipsed by those who insist that coffee is a beverage. No Tobacco Day is dedicated to those who are determined to leave this foul substance behind them and encourage others to do so as well.
Indeed, becoming smoke-free these days is such an event that it has led to its own celebration. People like to acknowledge their achievements and celebrate a cleaner and healthier society, and this is one of the reasons for the creation of No Tobacco Day. Over three decades ago, the World Health Organization created this day to allow the celebration of non-smoking, and to encourage those who do smoke to perform some level of abstinence from all forms of tobacco for at least 24-hours.
No Tobacco Day was established with the goal of raising awareness of the dangers of this habit, and the thousands of lives it costs every year. Tobacco used to be considered an innocuous little treat for the civilized man and even went so far as to be touted as healthy by business who (doubtless) paid off doctors to help promote it for use. A hundred years and millions of deaths later, it’s become undeniable that tobacco use is one of the primary killers of people all over the world.
Indeed, lung cancer is believed to be the cause of most cancer deaths worldwide, with tobacco being responsible for 22% of all deaths from cancer. It is important for everyone to take steps to try to combat this by trying to go tobacco-free as much as possible. This is no doubt the kind of stat that prompted the WHO to create this day, way back when. However, it is pretty evident that we still have a ways to go when it comes to trying to get people to be as tobacco-free as possible.
For decades, tobacco companies have intentionally used their marketing strategies to try to target younger and more impressionable people, and this has led to a surge in a lot of cancer deaths among young people. The idea of No Tobacco Day is to draw awareness to the perils of tobacco, as well as having a specific day that people can use to give them the motivation to get clean and steer away from tobacco and tobacco-related products.
So if you’re one of the millions of people who light up a cigarette, step out for a cancer stick, or have a smoke, then let No Tobacco Day be your chance for a free, healthier future. The average smoker spends around $4000 a year on cigarettes, imagine what you could do with that kind of money! That’s enough for a nice cruise in the Caribbean, a powerful new gaming computer, or an entire wardrobe of amazing clothes! No Tobacco Day can be your step towards economic freedom as well!
The focus of this day is primarily on enhancing tobacco and lung health, and this is something that plays a prominent role in society. People need to look after themselves better, and this is one of the ways in which they are able to achieve this. Think of it as a campaign to raise awareness on the negative impacts of tobacco and the tobacco industry, as well as highlighting the importance of lungs in the day to day lives of people. There is a hope that this is the sort of day that is going to shine a light on the tobacco industry and educate more and more people.
The simple fact is that a lot of people know smoking is bad for them, but they may not really fully appreciate the health problems that can come with a smoking habit. The point of No Tobacco Day is to help them realize this, as well as giving people the opportunity to make the right changes that can help make them fitter and healthier.
