CDC Celebrates World No Tobacco Day

Learn more about what World No Tobacco Day is.

Each year on May 31, CDC joins the World Health Organization (WHO) in observing World No Tobacco Day (WNTD). This observance brings worldwide awareness to the health risks associated with tobacco use, and reinforces the importance of effective strategies to reduce tobacco use. Worldwide, there are about 1.3 billion tobacco users, and every year about 6 million people around the world die from tobacco use.

Fighting the Tobacco Epidemic

Like WHO, CDC is committed to fighting the tobacco epidemic through proven strategies such as the following:

• Comprehensive smokefree policies in workplaces and public places that protect nonsmokers from secondhand smoke.
• Mass media campaigns, such as CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers campaign, that inform people about the dangers of smoking and tell them about resources to help quit.
• Higher prices on cigarettes and other tobacco products that discourage young people from starting smoking and encourage adult smokers to quit.
• Affordable tobacco cessation treatments that are available to people who want to quit.
• Programs that help integrate tobacco control into medical, retail, education, and public health settings that reach groups of people who might not otherwise be exposed to tobacco-control initiatives.

World No Tobacco Day brings worldwide awareness to the health risks associated with tobacco use.

How We Can Reduce Tobacco Use in the U.S.

In the United States, cigarette smoking is declining. However, the use of other tobacco products has remained unchanged or increased in recent years. Disparities in tobacco use also exist across population groups. The good news is that we know what works. Progress to reduce tobacco use in the United States can be accelerated by:

• Extending comprehensive smokefree indoor protections to 100% of the U.S. population.
• Raising the price of tobacco products to prevent youth from starting smoking, and encouraging tobacco smokers to quit completely.
• Expanding national media campaigns so that ads air more frequently and for longer periods.
• Helping tobacco users who want to quit by providing cessation resources that are readily available and affordable, and increasing awareness of these resources.
• Fully funding comprehensive statewide tobacco control programs at CDC-recommended levels.
• Expanding tobacco control surveillance, research, and evaluation efforts.

Implementing these strategies has the potential to save millions of lives in the coming decades and to keep millions of people from suffering the harmful health effects of tobacco use.

Quitting Resources

The following websites contain useful information for smokers who want to quit and are looking for help:

• The “I’m Ready to Quit” section of the CDC Tips From Former Smokers™ website contains practical, evidence-based cessation information and resources for smokers who are interested in quitting.
• Smokefree.gov is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) website that provides practical, evidence-based information and professional assistance to help adults who are trying to quit smoking.
• Smokefree Women is a NCI website that provides practical, evidence-based information on quitting that is tailored to the specific needs of women.
• Smokefree Teen is a NCI website devoted to helping teens quit smoking.
• espanol.smokefree.gov is a NCI Spanish-language website with evidence-based approaches to quitting.
• Quit Tobacco is a Department of Defense-sponsored cessation website for military personnel and their families.
• BeTobaccoFree.gov is a comprehensive website maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that provides access to tobacco-related information from across HHS agencies.

Global Tobacco Control Resources

• GTSS Data provides data on youth and adult smoking rates from around the world.
• WHO’s Tobacco Free Initiative website focuses international attention, resources, and action on the global tobacco epidemic.