World No Tobacco Day is observed around the world on May 31 every year. It was started by the World Health Organization in 1987. It aims to highlight the dangers of smoking around the world. Another aim is to encourage people to stop smoking and thus reduce the negative health effects of smoking. Around 5.4 million people a year die from smoking-related health problems. On World No Tobacco Day, the WHO presents special awards to organizations or people who have made great efforts to get people, especially children, to stop smoking. In 2008 the WHO called for a total ban on tobacco advertising. It said advertising was one of the biggest factors that made people take up smoking.

Tobacco is a dangerous drug. It’s amazing how governments allow people to use tobacco. One reason is governments get a lot of money from taxes on cigarettes. Another reason is tobacco companies have a lot of influence on politicians. Tobacco-related health problems put a huge amount of pressure on a country’s healthcare system. Millions of working hours are lost every day because people take smoking breaks. The saddest thing is that children lose parents because of the damage tobacco did to their bodies. Tobacco contains nicotine and other poisonous chemicals. These cause many diseases, like heart problems and cancer. Smoking causes bad breath, disease, loss of energy, and it’s expensive. It’s time for the world to quit smoking.

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