May 31, 2012 - World No-Tobacco Day

You probably already know that smoking tobacco is the Number 1 cause of preventable death.

Just choosing NOT to spend a lot of money on a habit that is for many very addicting, and therefore hard to quit—a habit that you are not allowed to do in an increasing number of places—a habit that causes your skin to wrinkle, your hair and clothes to smell bad to many, and your colds and other illnesses to be more frequent and more severe—just choosing NOT to do this one “bad habit” is the Number 1 thing you can do to live a healthier, longer life.

Today alone, May 31, 2012, more than 1,000 people in the U.S. alone will die of smoking-related causes!

Still, an awful lot of people smoke tobacco, and a lot of kids start smoking every day. It's pretty crazy.

The cost of cigarettes can add up to more than a thousand
dollars a year, but if you count in higher insurance costs,
higher medical costs, and lower car and home resale values,
it is estimated that smoking could cost about $10,000
each and every year!!!

This year's theme of World No-Tobacco Day is “tobacco industry interference.”

If you're interested in checking out some of the “bad acts” carried out by tobacco companies, check out Tobacco-Free Kids. 

Also on this date:

Castille-La Mancha Day

National Reconciliation Week in Australia 

July 27, 2010

Cigarette Warning Labels Mandated by Law in U.S. – 1965

On this day in 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed a bill requiring that cigarette packages must carry a health warning label. “Caution: Cigarette smoking may be hazardous to your health” began to appear on cigarette packages and cartons on January 1 of the next year.

Five years later, the U.S. warning labels were changed from the wishy-washy wording “may be hazardous” to a more definite warning: “Warning: The Surgeon General has determined that cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health.”

Since 1985, a series of different and specific warning labels have been used:

• SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, And May Complicate Pregnancy.

• SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Quitting Smoking Now Greatly Reduces Serious Risks to Your Health.

• SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Smoking By Pregnant Women May Result in Fetal Injury, Premature Birth, And Low Birth Weight.

• SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Cigarette Smoke Contains Carbon Monoxide.

However, although the U.S. was the first nation in the world to require cigarette warning labels, these labels are now among the smallest in the world. For example, in Turkey the label “Smoking Kills” takes up a full third of the front of a package! And there is another label that covers almost half of the back of the package, with various warnings such as “Smoking can cause a slow and painful death.”

In the Ukraine, packages are similarly blunt with large-sized warning labels: “Smokers die younger,” “Smoking causes impotence,” and “Cigarette smoke harms those around you.”

You won't believe what some countries do: The warning labels, printed with straight-to-the-point statements are not enough, so the packages also feature warning pictures and photos! In Singapore and New Zealand, packages include photos of damaged organs, including unsightly mouths and teeth. (Examples are shown here.) I won't include the warning pictures from Brazilian cigarette packages—they are SO gory and disturbing!

Help other kids learn why NOT to start smoking with these activities.