World No Tobacco Day today

On Tuesday, the Netherlands, along with the rest of the world, will observe World No Tobacco Day-2022, highlighting the health and other impacts of tobacco use and pushing for comprehensive tobacco-control legislation.

To mark the occasion, a number of anti-tobacco organizations have organized events.

The theme for this year's World No Tobacco Day in Bangladesh is "Tobacco Threat to Our Environment," according to an official handout.

President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addressed separate messages on the eve of the day.

Tobacco has a huge harmful influence on the environment, according to the President's statement.

Tobacco growth, processing, and consumption, according to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, are wreaking havoc on the environment.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), a fully grown-up tree is being cut off for preparing every 300 cigarettes, she said.

Sheikh Hasina said on an average 2 lakh hectors of forest resources are being damaged every year due to tobacco cultivation and tobacco leaf processing.

An estimated 150 crore hectares of (mainly tropical) forests have been lost worldwide since the 1970s, contributing to up to 20% of annual greenhouse gas increases, she mentioned.

To address the tobacco epidemic, WHO adopted the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), she said.

In light with the FCTC, 'Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (Control) Act, 2005' has been amended, the premier said.

The United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) incorporating the issues-effective implementation of FCTC and the non-communicable disease control-- by addressing tobacco as threat to development, she said.

 She said the incumbent Awami League government included the matter of tobacco control in the 7th and 8th five-year plans to achieve SDGs.

She hoped her government will be able to make a tobacco-free Bangladesh with united efforts of all to build a Sonar Bangla as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The President and the Prime Minister wished an all-out success of all programmes of World No Tobacco Day 2022.