Kabul, 31 May 2019 - On world #NoTobacco Day, WHO Afghanistan joined the WHO offices worldwide to announce its premises a smoke free environment to support the international campaign on #NoTobacco. Tobacco is a unique product that kills its consumers, yet the product is sold and bought worldwide in big volumes.
On the other hand, the Afghan Ministry of Public Health in collaboration with WHO Afghanistan and other health partners commemorated the #WorldNoTobaccoDay with a campaign in Kabul distributing car mirror flashcards with messages to discourage tobacco use.
According to the Afghanistan Demographic and Health Survey (2015) half of all male respondents stated to use tobacco, and 6% of women responded to use tobacco. Among these, 22% of men said to smoke cigarettes, 2% smoke Chelam and 32% of men use other types of tobacco products.
"To fight Tobacco, a lot of different bodies should work with the Ministry of Public Health of Afghanistan, including the judiciary and the law enforcement agencies, especially Ministry of Finance. Additionally, a strong taxation law on tobacco should become a reality, and probably a starting point for #NoTobacco journey, which will definitely be successful in the coming years," said Dr. Richard Peeperkorn, WHO Representative in Afghanistan on the occasion of #WorldNoTobaccoDay2019.
