World No-Tobacco Day: ‘Stop illicit trade of tobacco products’

WORLD No Tobacco Day (WNTD), observed every year on May 31, encourages a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption, to bring to people’s awareness the devastating health, socio-economic, and environmental consequences of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke.

Tobacco use may cause illnesses such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, heart attack, stroke, chronic heart disease, and emphysema. The global tobacco epidemic kills nearly six million people each year, of which more than 600,000 are non-smokers dying from second-hand smoke, statistics say. Tobacco may kill more than eight million people every year by 2030. More than 80% of preventable deaths will be among people in low-and middle-income countries.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and partners mark WNTD every year. The 2015 theme, “Stop Illicit Trade and Tobacco Products,” calls on countries to work together to end the illicit trade of tobacco products. According to a study, one in every 10 cigarettes consumed globally is illegal, making it a major global concern from any perspectives, including health, legal, economic, governance and corruption. This year’s WNTD campaign target is the youth population with the sub-theme, “Youths, You’re the Target: Say No to Tobacco,” tapping them in relevant and educational activities to increase awareness on dangers of smoking.

The goals of the WNTD 2015 campaign are: Raise awareness on harm to people’s health caused by illicit trade in tobacco products, especially the youth and low-income groups, due to increased accessibility and affordability of these products; show how health care gains and programs, tobacco control policies, like increased tax and prices and pictorial health warnings, are undermined by illicit trade; demonstrative how the tobacco industry has been involved in illicit trade; and highlight how illicit trade is a means of amassing wealth for criminal groups to finance organized crimes, including drugs, human and arms trafficking, and terrorism.

The international community adopted in November 12, 2012, the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, the first protocol to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) a global public health treaty signed in 2003 by 170 countries, including the Philippines. The protocol covers policies from regulating the content of tobacco products to packaging and labeling and offering help to those wanting to quit. WHO urges countries to move for the ratification of the protocol to be able to respond to financial, legal, and health impacts of illicit tobacco trade.