No Smoking Day is observed every year on the second Wednesday of March. This year, No Smoking Day will be celebrated on March 10 to encourage people over the world to quit smoking. The main purpose of this day is to spread awareness about the harmful health effects of tobacco consumption through cigarettes and other modes. The important message is to help smokers to get rid of the bad habit of smoking.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL NO SMOKING DAY
National No Smoking Day originated in the Republic of Ireland in 1984 on Ash Wednesday, when the ruling clergy determined that cigarettes would be a good thing for people to give up for Lent. Between then and now, the day of the holiday has been shifted to a more predictable second Wednesday of March.
Medical reports linking smoking to cancer first appeared in the 1920s. During the 1950s and 1960s, extensive research confirmed tobacco could cause a range of serious diseases. Smoking then became less popular due to a rapid increase in knowledge of the health effects of both active and passive smoking.
Now, the National No Smoking campaign is organized by the British Heart Foundation, whose members come up with a marketing phrase every year. For example, in 2010, the motto was, “Break free!” Television ads that year showed smokers breaking cigarettes instead of smoking them.
Historically, many heavy smokers populated the Republic of Ireland, but in recent years the numbers steadily declined. According to the annual Healthy Ireland Survey, 80,000 people stopped smoking over the preceding three years.
The World Health Organization states tobacco kills up to half of its users, with more than 8 million people dying each year. More than 7 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use, while around 1.2 million deaths are the result of exposure to second-hand smoke. Despite the statistics, government warnings, labels, age and location restrictions helped create a positive effect on the decline of smoking.
WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL NO SMOKING DAY
It clears the air
According to the Centers for Disease Control, secondhand smoke alone causes close to 41,000 deaths a year among American adults. The more smokers that quit on National No Smoking Day, the less secondhand smoke spreads into non-smokers lungs.
Good health is a good thing
Not many would argue that longevity, relaxed breathing, and healthy living are bad things. Quitting smoking improves your heart and lung health, your complexion, your sense of smell, and a smattering of other positive effects.
It’s a hit to Big Tobacco
This company sells a lethal product. Big Tobacco still holds a lot of sway in political circles, but they won’t survive when the number of smokers declines below a certain level.
