Tobacco Control

World No Tobacco Day

World No Tobacco Day 2025

Theme – Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics and Tobacco and Nicotine Products

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) designates 31st May of every year as the World No Tobacco Day (WNTD). The theme of WNTD 2025 is “Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products”, revealing how the tobacco and nicotine industries deceive the public and make their harmful products attractive.

 

Half of smokers die from smoking-related diseases. Recruiting new smokers to replace the millions of smokers who die or quit smoking every year and dissuading smokers from quitting are important strategies of the tobacco and nicotine industries to maintain profits. New products (e.g. electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products) and product features (e.g. flavourings) are consistently developed to attract people, especially young people, to tobacco and nicotine use. Major tactics include:

1. Flavourings

Changing the smell, taste or appearance of products, masking the harshness of tobacco, and improving the palatability

2. Coolants and additives

Making smoking experience smoother, thereby promoting continued use and discouraging quitting

3. Glamorized marketing

Attracting younger generations through sleek designs, alluring colours and flavours, and digital media promotions

4. Deceptive designs

Mimicking items that are naturally appealing to children, such as candies and cartoon characters

 

WNTD 2025 aims to:

1. Raise public awareness of how the tobacco and nicotine industries manipulate the appearance and appeal of their products

2. Advocate for measures to reduce attractiveness of tobacco and nicotine products, include bans on flavourings and additives, complete bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (including on digital platforms), and regulations of product designs and packages

3. Reduce demand for tobacco and nicotine products, particularly in youth, by exposing tactics of the industries

 

Please visit the WHO website for more information of WNTD 2025.

 

The themes of WNTD in recent years:

2024 - Protecting children from tobacco industry interference COSH programme
2023 – Grow food, no tobacco COSH programme
2022 – Tobacco: Threat to our environment COSH programme
2021 – Commit to quit COSH programme
2020 - Protecting youth from industry manipulation and preventing them from tobacco and nicotine use COSH programme
2019 - Tobacco and lung health COSH programme
2018 - Tobacco and heart disease COSH programme
2017 - Tobacco – a threat to development COSH programme
2016 - Get ready for plain packaging COSH programme 
2015 - Stop illicit trade of tobacco products COSH programme 
2014 - Raise taxes on Tobacco COSH programme
2013 - Ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship COSH programme
2012 - Tobacco industry interference COSH programme 
2011 - The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control  
2010 - Gender and Tobacco, with an emphasis on marketing to women COSH programme 
2009 - Tobacco Health Warnings  
2008 - Tobacco-Free Youth  
2007 – Smoke-Free Environments  
2006 – Tobacco : Deadly in any form or disguise  
2005 - Health Professionals Against Tobacco  
2004 - Tobacco and Poverty, a vicious circle  
2003 - Tobacco Free Film, Tobacco Free Fashion  
2002 - Tobacco Free Sports – Play it Clean  
2001 - Second-hand smoke kills  
2000 - Tobacco kills, don't be duped