When:
🗓️ January 11
Where:
🌐 Everywhere
Since:
1964
🚭
It’s time to stub out the excuses and raise awareness about the dangers of smoking!
January 11th marks the annual celebration of Cigarettes Are Hazardous To Your Health Day, a national awareness day that recognizes the momentous event in 1964, when U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry issued the first government report stating that smoking was indeed hazardous to your health.
This report was a turning point in the fight against smoking, and since then, much has been done to reduce smoking rates and educate people about the dangers of smoking.
Smoking is a habit that not only harms the smoker, but also those around them through secondhand smoke.
The harmful effects of smoking on health are well documented, from increased risk of lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, and respiratory illnesses to name a few.
According to the World Health Organization, tobacco is responsible for the deaths of nearly 8 million people each year, making it one of the leading causes of preventable death worldwide.
In recent years, many countries have taken steps to reduce the harm caused by smoking by implementing smoking bans in public places.
This has resulted in cleaner air and a healthier environment for all.
So, how can we give attention to this important day?
- Start a “Smoke-Free Zone”. Designate a specific area in your community, such as a park or a playground, as a smoke-free zone, and educate people about the dangers of secondhand smoke.
- Host a “Quit Smoking” challenge. Invite friends and family to participate in a friendly competition to see who can quit smoking for the longest amount of time. Offer incentives, such as movie tickets or a dinner, to the winner.
- Get involved in local advocacy efforts. Contact your local representatives and urge them to support legislation that reduces smoking rates, such as increasing taxes on tobacco products or banning smoking in public places.
- Organize a community clean-up of cigarette butts in public spaces.
Banning smoking in public has changed life for millions of people in countries where a smoking ban was issued.
Non-smokers no longer have to suffer from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke, and smokers are encouraged to quit.
On Cigarettes Are Hazardous To Your Health Day, let’s make a commitment to protect our health and the health of those around us.
Fighting for clean air starts in the lungs.