Shaheer Ahmed
On May 31st, 2023, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other public health advocates throughout the world will commemorate World No Tobacco Day (WNTD). That’s why “We Need Food, Not Tobacco” is this year’s rallying cry.
Tobacco growers throughout the world will benefit from the 2023 global campaign by learning about sustainable crop production and marketing potential. It will also strive to shed light on the tobacco industry’s role in causing the worldwide food shortage by sabotaging efforts to replace tobacco farming with more sustainable crops.
World No-Tobacco Day has been around since 1987 when the World Health Assembly passed a statement calling for a global effort to stop the spread of tobacco. In response, the WHO made May 31 “World No-Tobacco Day” to mark the 10th anniversary of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), which was signed in 2003. This pact is the first international agreement to try to cut down on smoking and the terrible effects it has on health.
There are several negative effects of smoking and all are linked to our health issues. It includes heart diseases, like heart attack and stroke, which are more likely to happen if you smoke. This is because smoking damages the inner lining of arteries narrows blood vessels, and raises blood pressure. Smoking also hurts the digestive system by making stomach and pancreatic cancers more likely to happen. It can also give you ulcers, acid reflux, and other problems with your stomach.
By cutting off blood flow to the face, smoking speeds up the aging process and causes lines, dryness, and sagging. It also makes people more likely to get skin cancer. People who smoke are more likely to get mouth cancer, gum disease, and lose teeth. It also makes your mouth smell bad and stains your teeth.
Moreover, the immune system also gets weaker when you smoke, which makes it harder for the body to fight off diseases and infections. It also makes it take longer for wounds or surgeries to heal.
When you smoke, your chances of getting worry, sorrow, and other mental health problems go up. It is also linked to memory loss and problems with how the brain works.
With Health issues, Tobacco growing uses up a lot of water, takes down a lot of trees, makes the land erode, and pollutes the air and water. And it means there is less space to grow food to feed people.
Overall, smoking is a big risk factor for a lot of different health problems, not just lung cancer. One of the best things a person can do for their health and to lower their chance of getting these conditions is to stop smoking. We must all quit smoking to let our planet breathe too. This year let’s just vow to grow food and plant trees by ending smoking.
