World No Tobacco Day

What is the World No-Tobacco Day?

The WHO website states that The Member States of the World Health Organization created World No Tobacco Day in 1987 to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes. In 1987, the World Health Assembly passed Resolution WHA40.38, calling for 7 April 1988 to be a "a world no-smoking day." In 1988, Resolution WHA42.19 was passed, calling for the celebration of World No Tobacco Day, every year on 31 May.

This year’s theme is “Grow food, not tobacco”.

Sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik creates a piece of art at Odisha's Puri beach | ANI

Tobacco growing and production exacerbates food security

The cultivation and production of tobacco worsen the issue of food insecurity. The escalating food crisis is driven by factors like conflicts, climate-related shocks, and the socioeconomic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, structural factors, including the choice of crops, also play a significant role, and an examination of tobacco cultivation reveals its contribution to heightened food insecurity:

• Annually, approximately 3.5 million hectares of land worldwide are converted for tobacco cultivation, leading to significant land-use changes. Moreover, tobacco farming contributes to deforestation, accounting for the loss of 200,000 hectares of forest each year.
• Tobacco cultivation is resource-intensive, relying heavily on pesticides and fertilizers, which degrade the quality of soil and contribute to its deterioration over time.
• Land that is dedicated to tobacco cultivation becomes less suitable for growing other crops, particularly food crops, as tobacco exhausts the soil's fertility.
• When compared to other agricultural activities such as growing maize or raising livestock, tobacco farming has a disproportionately destructive impact on ecosystems. Tobacco farmlands are more susceptible to desertification, posing a serious threat to the surrounding environment.

Any potential profits derived from tobacco as a cash crop may not outweigh the damage inflicted on sustainable food production in low- and middle-income countries. Given this context, there is an urgent need to implement legal measures aimed at reducing tobacco cultivation and supporting farmers in transitioning to the production of alternative food crops.

Significance

The consumption of tobacco carries significant health implications, including an elevated risk of various ailments. These health issues encompass cardiovascular disease, digestive problems, skin cancer, oral cancer, teeth staining, cataracts, macular degeneration, and mental disorders.

Smoking tobacco not only affects the individual user but also poses risks to those around them who are exposed to second-hand smoke. It is worth noting that adverse health effects can arise from the consumption of tobacco in any form, although cigarette smoking remains the most prevalent method of tobacco use worldwide.

In addition to its impact on health, tobacco plays a role in exacerbating food insecurity. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 3.5 million hectares of land are utilized annually for tobacco cultivation. This significant land usage for tobacco farming contributes to deforestation and poses detrimental effects on the environment.