The 28th edition of the World No Tobacco Day was celebrated in Cameroon on May 28, 2015.
Tobacco kills one out of two smokers and 6 million people per year in the world. In Cameroon, 66,000 people die of the effects of tobacco every year. According to World Report on Tobacco Consumption among adults (GATS) 2013, Cameroon has more than one million active adult smokers and the situation keeps increasing. The illicit trade in tobacco products, which makes it more accessible, contributes to the ravaging effects.
It is against this backdrop that the 28th edition of the World No Tobacco Day was celebrated in Cameroon on May 28, 2015 on the theme, “Stop illicit trade in tobacco products.” Speaking at the occasion, the Director of the National Anti-Tobacco Control Programme in the Ministry of Public Health, Pascal Owono, said tobacco consumption is not an individual responsibility, but a responsibility of all as tobacco, no matter its form, affects all lives. He said the fight against tobacco consumption is in line with government’s policy to ensure good health for the population. He used the occasion to hail the Cameroon Coalition Against Tobacco for its efforts in the fight against the illicit trade in tobacco products.
The theme for 2015 World No Tobacco Day was aimed at making government fight effectively against the illicit trade in tobacco in view of reducing the dangers of tobacco consumption. It also aimed at sensitising officials, civil society and the public to ensure support for the measures to be taken by government in the fight against tobacco consumption.
Highlights of the celebration included a round table discussion on the theme, “Impact of illicit trade in tobacco products in Cameroon” and the award of prizes to the winners of the competition, “I am not a marionette of cigarette.” Organised by the Cameroon Coalition Against Tobacco, the event brought together cabinet ministers, representatives of international organisations, the civil society, among other actors.
