World No-Tobacco day is celebrated on May 31 every year in order to teach public about health problems caused by tobacco products.
On World No-Tobacco Day this year, World Health Organisation (WHO) has on World No Tobacco Day called on all nations to be ready for plain packaging of tobacco products.
WHO's theme for No-Tobacco day 2016 is "Get ready for plain packaging."
WHO and the Secretariat of the WHO framework Convention on Tobacco Control have called up on all countries to consider standardised packaging of tobacco products. Guidelines to Article 11 and 13 of the framework advise parties to be apt about the adoption.
Sharing her views on the same, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia, Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, says tobacco use continues to be a major public health issue across the WHO South-East Asia Region with nearly 246 million people in the region's 11 countries continuing to smoke tobacco and just below 290 million using it in smokeless forms. Singh says tobacco is leading to the death of 1.3 million people across the Region every year ? the equivalent of 150 fatalities per hour.
Tobacco industries spend billions of dollars on portraying people who smoke as being cool and glamorous. Hence, plain packaging is a very crucial step to reduce the demands of these products as it cuts the entice and limits the promotion and advertising of tobacco products.
There are many tobacco brands and criminal groups profited by the illegitimate trade of tobacco products globally. To rattle these companies, there is a huge section of WHO that works to inform public about their business practises and manipulative tactics that persuade people into its use.
Posters released by WHO. (Image credit: who.int)
According to WHO, about 6 million people die each year because of smoking and out of which more than 600 00 are non-smokers who are affected by second-hand smoke. In in order to decrease the death toll, in the past few years there also has been a significant increase in taxes on tobacco for the reduction.
The goals for World No-tobacco Day 2016 are:
- The focal point of WNTD 2016 is highlighting the role of standard packaging in controlling tobacco consumption.
- Ease the policy development by Member states and promote plain packaging globally by throwing light on it's pros and cons
- To power plain packaging and restricting all the advertisements, promotions, logos and sponsorships to inspire Member states.
- Back member states and societies against the interruption done by tobacco industries in the measure of adopting plain packaging laws.
The world needs to work collectively meet these goals to stop or reduce tobacco consumption and see every day as World No-tobacco Day.
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 "Poster on WNTD's theme: \"Get ready for plain packaging\"")
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