World No Tobacco Day 2010

(May 31, 2010) World No Tobacco Day is observed around the world every year on May 31. It is meant to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption across the globe. The member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) created World No Tobacco Day in 1987. "Gender and tobacco with an emphasis on marketing to women" is the theme for this year’s World No Tobacco Day, held on 31 May 2010. Controlling the epidemic of tobacco among women is an important part of any comprehensive tobacco control strategy. World No Tobacco Day 2010 is designed to draw particular attention to the harmful effects of tobacco marketing towards women and girls. It also highlights the need for the nearly 170 Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to ban all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship in accordance with their constitutions or constitutional principles. Women comprise about 20% of the world's more than 1 billion smokers. However, the epidemic of tobacco use among women is increasing in some countries. Although the campaign is focussing on tobacco marketing to women, it also takes into account the need to protect boys and men from the tobacco companies' tactics. As WHO said in its 2007 report, Gender and tobacco control: a policy brief, "Generic tobacco control measures may not be equally or similarly effective in respect to the two sexes. On World No Tobacco Day 2010, and throughout the following year, WHO will encourage governments to pay particular attention to protecting women from the tobacco companies' attempts to lure them into lifetimes of nicotine dependence.