World No Tobacco Day 2018- Why Is This Day Celebrated?

World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) - On 31st May each year WHO celebrates World No Tobacco Day, highlighting the health risks associated with tobacco use and advocating for effective policies to reduce consumption. Tobacco use is the second cause of death globally (after hypertension) and is currently responsible for killing one in 10 adults worldwide.

The purpose of World No Tobacco Day is to encourage countries and governments to work towards strict regulations of tobacco products and to draw global attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and to negative health effects, which currently lead to 5.4 million deaths worldwide annually.
Tobacco use is one of the leading preventable causes of death. The global tobacco epidemic kills nearly 6 million people each year, of which more than 600,000 are people exposed to second-hand smoke. Unless we act, it will kill up to 8 million people by 2030, of which more than 80% will live in low- and middle-income countries.

All tobacco products are harmful and addictive and thus the absence of clear information deprives even well intended people the ability to make healthy choices. The truth about tobacco products can empower people to improve their own health, as well as the health of their families, friends, and others in their community.

The member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) created World No Tobacco Day in 1987, the World Health organization of the WHO passed Resolution WHA40.38, calling for April 7, 1988 to be "a world no-smoking day". In the past twenty years, the day has been met with both enthusiasm and resistance across the globe from governments, public health organizations, smokers, growers, and the tobacco industry.