What is World Anti tobacco Day
It is one of the eight global health campaign initiatives by WHO or the World Health Organization that is observed on the 31st of may every year. The primary agendas are of the campaign are:
1. Encouraging people for refraining themselves from using any kind of tobacco or its products for at least one whole day.
2. Drawing global attention to the harmful effects of tobacco, the alarming rise in usage of tobacco products & the number of death it causes each and every year.
World Anti Tobacco Day-Over the Years
In 1987, a special resolution was passed by the World Health Organization and 7th April, 1988 was declared as the ‘World No-Smoking Day’. The objective of the day being the same as World Anti Tobacco day today i.e. motivating all the tobacco users to refrain from having all kinds of tobacco made products for 24 hours at the minimum. This is an act of supporting all those people who are trying to quit tobacco addiction. In 1988, another resolution was passed by the WHO to celebrate 31st May as ‘World No Tobacco Day’ or the World Anti Tobacco Day every year. The World Anti Tobacco Day has been supported by WHO since then and a new theme is used every year to celebrate the day.
In 1998, the Tobacco Free Initiative or TFI was established by WHO to focus global attention and raise awareness to formulate global policies in accordance with WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). It is a treaty globally adopted by countries in the year 2003 for implementing policies towards tobacco’s abolition. In 2008, WHO, on the eve of World No Tobacco Day, lobbied for a ban on all commercials, promotions & sponsorship of tobacco all over the world. It was complying with their theme of Tobacco Free Youth for that year to ban advertising of tobacco targeted at the youth.
Themes
Themes are central to the observation of World Anti tobacco Day, an idea that helps WHO formulates the agendas for the tobacco-related campaign for the following year. For example, in the year 2008,the theme was Tobacco-free youth. To observe the day that year they released Youtube videos to raise awareness among the youth about WTND.
Similarly the theme for the year 2000 was “Tobacco kills; don’t be duped” & for the year 2006 “Tobacco Deadly: In any form or disguise” were aimed at promoting awareness among people that they were being misled about the true facts of tobacco through various kind of marketing blitz & released publicity materials about the latest tobacco related research.
Observance
WHO encourages the observation of this day across the globe by every faction from national governments to local clubs. Various smoking bans & anti tobacco laws have been passed on this day of World No Tobacco Day in various countries.
Special Examples:
- In 2008, a section of Smoke Free Ontario Act came into effect banning the display of tobacco products in stores on the WNTD.
- In 2010, all government hospitals & offices were declared smoke free by the Australian Government on the day of WNTD.
In India numerous campaigns and events are organized to create awareness against tobacco use. A special section of the magazine CURRENT SCIENCE in association with INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION AGAINST TUBERCULOSIS & LUNG DISEASES was published in time for World No Tobacco Day in 2009 to examine the consumption & possible measures to restrict the use of tobacco in India.