Are Your Schools Tobacco-Free? May 31 is World No-Tobacco Day!
May 28, 2008 - World No Tobacco Day is celebrated annually on May 31st. The occasion, sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO), is an opportunity to educate the public on the effects of tobacco use, the business practices of tobacco companies, and ways in which people around the world can protect future generations from tobacco addiction and disease.
As schools are both workplaces and public entities, it is important that they be kept tobacco-free. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed the Guidelines for School Health Programs to Prevent Tobacco Use and Addiction to help schools achieve health and education goals. To reduce exposure to tobacco at schools, the CDC recommends that all schools prohibit all tobacco use by students, staff, parents, and visitors on all school premises or in school vehicles at all school functions, 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The guidelines also recommend prohibiting all tobacco advertising on school property, at school functions, and in school publications.
The theme for this year’s World No-Tobacco Day is “Tobacco-Free Youth: Ban All Tobacco Advertising, Promotion, and Sponsorship.” It speaks to the need to combat direct and indirect tobacco advertising and promotion of tobacco products.
School-wide prohibitions on t-shirts, caps, backpacks, and other gear that promotes tobacco products help to support kids’ efforts to stay tobacco-free. Refusing to accept tobacco company offers of book covers, curricula, or other sponsorship creates a tobacco-free environment for the whole school community.
For more information on World No Tobacco Day, go to http://www.who.int/tobacco/wntd/2008/