WHO has set up World No Tobacco Day to draw attention to the fact that five million die from using tobacco every year. And if that’s not bad enough another 600,000 die from second-hand smoking. They want to encourage people to DO something about decreasing the number of people losing their lives.
So what is tobacco exactly? Well it’s a leafy plant grown in hotter climates and can be smoked, chewed or sniffed.
When a person absorbs the plant in these ways the addictive chemical nicotine inside is released into the bloodstream.
It speeds up our heart rate, raises the blood pressure and makes us feel more energetic for a temporary amount of time. As we know the lasting effects are much more dangerous …
That’s why we need to take action now. This year the theme of the day is “Get ready for plain packaging” – the campaign will focus on calling on countries to get ready for standardised packaging.
In the UK new laws make shops keep cigarettes stored out of sight – ‘out of sight, out of mind’ is what the government is hoping for.It’s a start but we need everyone to make a universal effort to stop smoking and help others to quit. To take a look at the news bulletins and find out more about the day at the World No Tobacco Day website. You can also follow the day on Facebook and Twitter.