Every year 31 May is celebrated as World No Tobacco Day to make people aware and educate them about the harmful effects of tobacco on health which causes cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic lung disease, diabetes, tooth decay, staining of teeth, etc.
Tobacco use is the greatest global cause of preventable deaths. More than 8 million people die from tobacco use each year, over 7 million from direct tobacco use and over 1.2 million from secondhand smoke exposure. An estimated 6.5 trillion packs of cigarettes are sold annually, and 18 billion sticks are smoked daily globally (1.457 billion sticks in ASEAN).
In 2020, 505 billion cigarettes were reportedly sold in ASEAN nations, with 92% of those cigarettes being consumed mostly in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. According to the ASEAN Tobacco Control Atlas, 22.5% of adults in ASEAN smoke. ASEAN has 10% of world's smokers. Among ASEAN country, Indonesia has the highest adult male smoking prevalence (67%). In Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and the Philippines, adult female smoking rates are exceptionally high (between 4.4% and 7.1%). Worryingly, The South East Asia (6.4 million or 27%) and Western Pacific (4.7 million or 19.9%) regions have the largest number of youth (13-15 years) cigarette smokers of the global total (23.6 million) respectively.
Tobacco use is not only harm to people health, but it also a threat to our environment. Tobacco is one of our biggest threats to our environment and the entire ecology around us. Tobacco industry manufacturers and users pollute the environment in numerous ways. The entire vicious cycle of growing tobacco, processing tobacco, tobacco production, and packing, delivery, consumption, and disposal causes severe and irreversible damage to the environment. Tobacco leads to soil erosion, deforestation, water contamination, air pollution, carbon emission, marine life fatality, climate change, and global warming. With an annual greenhouse gas contribution of 84 megatons carbon dioxide equivalent, the tobacco industry contributes to climate change and reduces climate resilience, wasting resources, and damaging ecosystems.
It is never too late to quit smoking. Quitting smoking now improves your health and the environment around us.