World No Tobacco Day

This is an opportunity to make people aware of the harmful effects of consuming tobacco. This year’s World No Tobacco Day theme is “Tobacco: Threat to our environment.”

The campaign aims to raise awareness among the public about the negative environmental impacts of tobacco.

While the official day for World Tobacco Day is on Tuesday, May 31, the Active City Development Program hosted a walk from Sir Hubert Murray Stadium to Ela Beach for No Tobacco Day in partnership with the World Health Organization and the PNG Cancer Foundation this morning.

Take a moment today on World No Tobacco Day to reflect on health problems that tobacco use can cause.

Tobacco use is still one of main factors behind the global non-communicable disease crises.

Highlighted in the Tobacco Free Pacific 2025, tobacco use is the major cause of preventable premature death in many Pacific islands.

In a statement, Health Secretary Pascoe Kase said over 50 percent of teenagers are regular smokers.

“According to the Global Youth Survey conducted in PNG in 2016, 53 percent of young people (age 13-15) are regular smokers,” Kase said.

He said tobacco use is a major health risk, and leads to cancers, heart disease, chronic respiratory illness, diabetes and stroke in adults.         

“It is estimated that 80 percent of premature deaths are attributed to tobacco use in low to middle income countries. This relates directly to PNG,” Kase said.