World No tobacco day 2025
Every year May 31st is Observed as No Tobacco Day and this year theme is “Unmasking the appeal: Exposing industry tactics on tobacco and nicotine products”. This gives us one more reason to quit smoking.
This year, the World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) campaign focuses on showing how the tobacco and nicotine industries try to make their harmful products attractive, especially to young people. By uncovering these tricks, we want to raise awareness, push for stronger rules—like banning flavours that make these products more appealing—and protect public health.
Why it’s important to look at industry tricks? World NO Tobacco Day
Even though there’s been a lot of progress in controlling tobacco use worldwide, tobacco and nicotine companies keep finding new ways to attract and keep customers. These tactics harm public health and often focus on vulnerable groups, especially young people.
Some common tricks they use include:
Misleading product design: They create products that look like candy or toys, which can attract children and teenagers.
Flavours and additives: They improve the taste and hide the harshness of tobacco, making it more appealing.
Targeted marketing: They use stylish designs, eye-catching packaging, and social media to make harmful products look cool.
Why do people smoke? World No Tobacco Day
Tobacco has a chemical named Nicotine and when person smokes within 10 seconds this chemical is released and in brain it activates pleasure pathways or reward pathway. Now imagine doing certain activities which you like example listening to music, eating your favourite food, hiking ,exercising all these activities when performed individual feels good and it is rewarding in a way brain perceives these to be an recreational and also stress busters. Once individual smokes cigarette nicotine activates these reward pathway and one can feel relaxed distracts from unpleasant feeling. Very important chemical involved is Dopamine. Individual gets into the trap of this and wants to smoke again and again, from single puffs he can become addicted to cigarettes this is tolerance where to get the desired effect one has to smoke up more number of cigarettes, increased amount of urge or desire, despite harmful effect of substance continues to smoke, all this amounts to addiction and this is definitely Mental health disorder.
Studies have shown that there is strong genetic predisposition to addiction almost increase the risk to more than 60% . In India prevalence to tobacco use is 28% in population this means that 28 in 100 individual use to bacco in chewable(kini,gutka etc…) or smoking ,almost 28 crore population are addicted to tobacco and this is very dangerous and 8million people loose their lives globally every year. Smoking leads to 20 different cancers and releases around 5000 chemicals inside our body and environment.
Why is it so hard to quit ? World No Tobacco Day
Like any other addiction to substances stopping of cigarettes also causes withdrawal symptoms both physical and psychological effects
Physical-headache, Dizziness, Constipation, Cough, Trouble Sleeping
Psychological-irritability, Frustration, Depression, Anxiety Agitation
Often this is severe within 72 hours of last smoke and there high chances of relapse
How to quit? World No Tobacco Day
Various treatment options are available.
Nicotine replacement therapy in the for of gums, pathch lozenges.
And also tablets are available therefore seeking professional help is needed.
Studies have shown that along with medications behaviour therapy there is decreased relapse rate and one can quit successfully. Tobacco use is the single largest preventable cause of cancer and quitting tobacco at any age can make a huge difference in improving life expectancy and quality of life.
On this No Tobacco Day lets pledge to share awareness on protecting our health and also our environment.
We’re here to help you through withdrawal with the right treatment for both the physical and mental challenges of quitting.
