opinion

May 31 is World No-Tobacco Day.

The World Health Organization set May 31 every year as World No-Tobacco Day in 1988 and adopted the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2003.

But the number of smokers doesn’t decrease worldwide.

Smoking takes the lives of more people than disasters or accidents. The global death toll brought by smoking reaches 8 million every year. As the number of deaths by smoking has rapidly increased in recent years, a new piece of information has been released that there are dozens of kinds of diseases entailing deaths by smoking. 

Smoking seriously damages not only human health but also ecological environment. The substance in cigarette smoke pollutes air. Smoking generates waste such as cigarette ash, butts and packs, which also result in environmental pollution.

In this regard, smoking has nothing beneficial to human life.

Only quitting smoking can help protect lives of people and create clean ecological environment.

The problem is that most smokers do not quit smoking though they are aware of such facts. There are various reasons for it.

Nicotine in cigarette smoke is a kind of addictive substance, and a person who once got into a habit of smoking finds it hard to quit it. And many smokers almost neglect the warning of the danger of smoking as damage by smoking occurs gradually, not immediately. One of the main reasons why the number of smokers does not decrease is that cigarettes can be easily bought anywhere.

As a result, damage by smoking is not eradicated worldwide and this seriously hinders the social development of each country. Therefore, many countries have taken positive measures to encourage people to smoke less or quit smoking.

The theme of this year's no-tobacco day is “Protecting young people from tobacco industry interference”.

Many countries have already taken measures to protect young people from damage by smoking.

In England, it is stipulated by law that young people under 18 are not allowed to buy cigarettes and in New Zealand, there is in force a law to prevent people born after 2009 from smoking all their lives. It is reported that there are measures such as the one to sentence an adult to six months’ imprisonment if he or she buys cigarettes for a young person. In order to prevent young people from being tempted by cigarettes, some countries enforce a law making sure that only the same design colour and size of letters are used for all cigarette packs, regardless of their kinds.

Anti-smoking activities are brisk in our country, too.

Since the late 1980s, it has taken measures to restrict smoking in society, and since 2005, when it became a signatory to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, it has conducted an anti-smoking campaign embracing the whole society.

In 2020, the Tobacco-Prohibition Law of the DPRK was adopted followed by the establishment of its enforcement regulations and relevant detailed rules. Accordingly, anti-smoking information and dissemination activities are conducted throughout society.

In recent years alone, there were established a smoking cessation products exhibition house and the Hwasong Branch of the Tobacco Cessation Centre in newly built Songhwa and Hwasong streets respectively.

Tobacco cessation nutrition pills, nicotine tobacco cessation pills, nicotine patch and gum, tobacco cessation pipe and other relevant goods are also produced and widely used.

Our country has intensified exchange and cooperation with the WHO to hold events on World No-Tobacco Day and shared experience in anti-smoking activities.

In the past, during non-smoking research, I heard many women expressing their opposition to smoking. I also agree with them.

Smokers should determinedly quit smoking tobacco, a special "luxury" threatening life.

Quitting smoking is for oneself and the future.