On May 31st we celebrate World No Tobacco Day : an initiative wanted by the World Health Organization, which wants to be an important moment of reflection on the harmful impact of smoking on health, but not only.

Because it's never too late to quit smoking .

No to tobacco also in Italy

The World No Tobacco Day sees in Italy the mobilization of the Ministry of Health which organizes the " XVII National Conference on Smoking and National Health Service " for next May 29th. The protagonists, in addition to the Ministry, will be the Higher Institute of Health, the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research and the Italian Tabaccology Society. The conference will take place on Friday 29 May 2015 at the Pocchiari lecture hall of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, in Viale Regina Elena, 299 in Rome.

As it is highlighted, every year in Europe about 700 thousand people die due to smoking, so tobacco consumption becomes the main avoidable risk for human health (data from the Ministry of Health 2014); moreover, about 50% of tobacco users die 14 years earlier than those who do not smoke.

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Tobacco and lawlessness

The 2015 campaign to stop the fight against smoking points the finger at the illicit and illegal trade in tobacco-related products .

As stated in the official website World no tobacco day 2015, one for every 10 cigarettes and many other tobacco-related products consumed in the world are illegal, and make the illegal trade in such products a global problem in many respects, including the health, legality, economy, governments and corruption.

The tobacco industry and criminal groups are among those who make the greatest profits from the illegal tobacco trade, leaving the tobacco-consuming public with the burden of paying for health and health costs.

Therefore, a correction by the Government of the Protocol is necessary to eliminate the illicit trafficking of tobacco and related products, an action that must be undertaken at the same time by consumers, the competent authorities and other sectors.

What you need to know to stop illicit tobacco

As reported by the official website of the World Day, here are the main points that allow you to make an informed choice and really say no to the cigarette:

• First, illegal cigarettes and tobacco are sold at a lower price, so as to encourage consumption among the poorest and especially among the youngest.

• Secondly, the proliferation of these traffics also means less gains for governments, often in the poorer ones, where illicit tobacco seems even more widespread. The decline in tobacco use rates in high-income countries has in fact increased the need for large tobacco companies to turn their attention to low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Africa and Asia.

• Thirdly, illicit trade is not subject to legal restrictions and health regulations, therefore even more harmful to the economy of the various states.

• Finally illicit tobacco finds its sponsors among criminals and illicit organizations that often c ontrabbandano even in drugs, human beings and arms trafficking.

When we talk about illicit tobacco, it is good to know that we do not only mean cigarettes, but also pipe tobacco, for example, or chewing tobacco, whose consumption seems to have increased according to the latest 2013 data.

A very effective campaign has been the one conducted in England, to make people understand that illicit tobacco encourages or makes it easier for younger boys to start smoking . But media campaigns alone do not solve the problem. Good coordination between the various agencies and administrations would be necessary, with higher and more severe taxes and penalties. Furthermore, we should make tobacco data more transparent and make it known to all.

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