Kohima, May 30 (MExN): In view of the World No Tobacco Day on May 31, the State Tobacco Control Cell, Nagaland urged all the schools to organize a short program or allocate a few minutes during the school assembly to inform students about this year’s theme and the importance of making its school environments tobacco-free.
This year, the World Health Organization (WHO) is emphasizing the theme “Protecting children from tobacco industry interference.” This year’s theme highlights the critical importance of shielding “our children from the manipulative tactics of the tobacco industry.”
The tobacco industry spends approximately 8 billion dollars annually on various forms of advertising aimed at influencing and interfering with young people.
These tactics are designed to replace their deceased customers with new, young consumers.
The deceptive marketing strategies include; exploiting the widespread use of smart phones and social media to target younger demographics, incentivizing vendors near schools to prominently display tobacco products, using sleek, colorful point-of-sale displays to attract young people’s attention, often placing products at children’s eye level and near items like toys and sweets and promoting flavored tobacco products, such as menthol cigarettes and candy-flavored e-cigarettes, which mask the harshness of tobacco and make it easier for young, non-smokers to start using them.
“The participation of schools is crucial in fostering a healthier, tobacco-free environment for our students. By taking part in this initiative, we can protect our children from the harmful effects of tobacco and promote their well-being,” the State Tobacco Control Cell stated.
