Source: UN News: Thursday, 04 June 2026 00:01 AM
Around 4 crore children aged 13 to 15 years across the world are consuming tobacco products and the trend of e-cigarettes is also increasing, which is a matter of grave concern. Every year, ‘World No Tobacco Day’, celebrated on 31 May, reminds us of the global fight against smoking.
World Health Organization has once again urged the governments of countries around the world to save the next generations from tobacco consumption and nicotine addiction. Tweet URL
For decades, tobacco companies have promoted e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches with candy-like flavors, attractive packaging and social media personalities to attract youth. Since nicotine is a highly addictive substance, it is easy to become addicted to, difficult to quit, and the product harms the developing brain of young people, so this mission against smoking addiction is extremely important. UN Health Agency – WHO Dr. Athene Krug, director of the Department of Health Determinants and Prevention at the WHO, says that on one hand, tobacco is pushing millions of people to death. “Yet the major tobacco companies keep finding new ways to sell their products and make profits, but the governments of the countries also have the full power to protect their people.” WHO says that the governments of the countries are making nicotine in different flavors in their countries. By banning products, their advertisements and sponsorships, and by strictly enforcing measures such as making public places smoke-free and electronic smoke-free, we can protect people from this addiction. WHO recently warned that one of the fastest growing nicotine products in the market – nicotine pouches – is being aggressively promoted through popular personalities on social media, with branding and flavors designed to attract youth. A recent report on nicotine pouches found that despite rapidly increasing sales worldwide, approximately 160 countries still have no specific regulations for nicotine pouches, leaving millions of people unprotected. According to WHO, bright and attractive packaging, candy-like flavors and celebrity campaigns are the same strategies used for other nicotine products, the primary purpose of which is to create addiction to these harmful products. The UN health agency says that governments at both national and local levels play an important role in the regulation of these products. The organization cited the example of the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro, which has emerged as a leading example of local action to combat nicotine use and prevent youth addiction. The city of Rio de Janeiro has tightened regulations and laws against the sale and advertising of e-cigarettes, conducting hundreds of inspections to strictly enforce the ban and ensure strict enforcement of smoke-free laws. The city also launched large-scale public awareness campaigns and strengthened smoke-free laws to explicitly include all tobacco and nicotine products, including e-cigarettes. WHO recently honored leaders around the world who are taking bold steps to counter the tobacco industry’s rapidly evolving youth appeal strategies. WHO has commended all the winners of the 2026 World No Tobacco Day Awards for their outstanding contributions to tobacco control. UN Archive Around the world, approximately 7 million people die every year due to diseases related to tobacco use. Tobacco – Killer of millions of people: Tobacco use kills more than 70 lakh people every year. It remains one of the leading causes of preventable death globally and is linked to cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and more than 20 different types of cancer. According to the World Health Organization, at least 125 million people worldwide are addicted to tobacco. On May 31, World No Tobacco Day, WHO urged the more than 1 billion users of tobacco, e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches worldwide to quit. A strong call has been made to take the first step in this direction.
