RA Ministry of Health informs that today is World No Tobacco Day.
“Every year, May 31st is World No Tobacco Day, which was established by the WHO in 1987 to draw public attention to the deadly effects of tobacco.
Tobacco is one of the severe threats to public health. More than 8 million people die each year from tobacco use.
More than 7 million are tobacco and former users, and more than 1.2 million are non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke.
According to the sample surveys of the Health System in Armenia conducted in 2022, 25.5% of the population over 16 smoke. Most smokers are men (53.2% of men, 2% of women).
The study of the effect of indoor secondhand smoke on the population’s health showed that it decreased from 53.1% to 47.0% in 2022 compared to 2016.
More than 5,500 people die from tobacco-related diseases in Armenia every year.
All tobacco products and their substitutes harm health; there is no safe dose.
On February 13, 2020, the law “On the reduction and prevention of health damage caused by the use of tobacco products and their substitutes” was adopted, which limits all tobacco products and their substitutes.
According to the law, the use of tobacco in all closed and some open public places (including health, educational, cultural institutions, hotel facilities, and indoor and outdoor food establishments), all forms of advertising, sales (sales) promotion, and sponsorship are prohibited—also other provisions. The law is aimed at protecting the present and future generations from the negative impact on health caused by the use of tobacco products, as well as rooting the use of tobacco products and their substitutes as an unhealthy and unacceptable behavior in the perceptions of the population,” the Ministry of Health informs.
