World No Tobacco Day 2022

New Delhi: Through a recent notice, the Dental Council of India (DCI) has directed all the dental colleges across the country to observe World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) on 31st May, 2022 with the campaign theme "Tobacco: Threat to Our Environment."

The DCI, in its notice, has directed to refer to GOI's letter and as per the directives/instructions of the Government of India, it is mandatory for every dental institute/college to celebrate/observe World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) on 31st May, 2022 in collaboration with the Dental Council of India and the Government of India. They are also required to share a brief report along with photographs and video clips of this event with the Council.

The campaign theme for 2022 is "Tobacco: Threat to Our Environment." The campaign is aimed to raise awareness among the public on the environmental impact of tobacco – from cultivation, production, distribution, and waste. It will give tobacco users one extra reason to quit. The campaign will also aim to expose the tobacco industry's effort to "greenwash" its reputation and products by marketing themselves as environmentally friendly, as per the WHO website.

In this regard, the colleges have been asked to celebrate WNTD 2022 by planning No Tobacco Promotions Activities on 31st May 2022.

Additional Information

The details regarding WNTD 2022 are available at WHO Website if required.

To view the official Notice, Click here.

Impact of Tobacco

Tobacco kills over 8 million people every year and destroys our environment, further harming human health, through the cultivation, production, distribution, consumption, and post-consumer waste.

Around 3.5 million hectares of land are destroyed for tobacco growing each year. Growing tobacco contributes to deforestation, especially in the developing world. Deforestation for tobacco plantations promotes soil degradation and "failing yields" or the capacity for the land to support the growth of any other crops or vegetation.