Per the notice below, the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) is recognizing World No Tobacco Day.

New York State Department of Health Recognizes World No Tobacco Day

World No Tobacco Day 2024 Focuses on Protecting Children from Tobacco Industry Targeting

Department Reaffirms Commitment to Raising Awareness About Dangers of Tobacco

The New York State Department of Health recognizes World No Tobacco Day, observed annually on May 31, by reaffirming its commitment to raising awareness of the dangerous and deadly effects of commercial tobacco marketing and use.  This year, World No Tobacco Day champions will engage youth in New York State and around the world to call for policies to stop the tobacco industry from targeting them with products that are harmful to their health.  The World Health Organization started World No Tobacco Day in 1987 to draw global attention to the preventable deaths and diseases caused by tobacco.

"The Department is dedicated to raising awareness about the detrimental impact tobacco use has on individuals and their loved ones, and providing New Yorkers with quality resources that can help them quit tobacco and nicotine and lead full, healthy lives," State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said.  "The tobacco industry spends more than $160 million per year marketing products in New York and World No Tobacco Day 2024 shines a spotlight on the tobacco industry's targeting of our youth and the increased risk of addiction, and damage to developing brains, lungs, and overall health."

Since 2000, the Department's comprehensive New York State Tobacco Control Program has worked to reduce illness, disability, and death caused by commercial tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure and to alleviate social and economic inequities caused by predatory tobacco marketing.  One grant-funded initiative of the Tobacco Control Program is Advancing Tobacco-Free Communities, which uses a two-pronged approach of strategic community engagement and youth action to educate and mobilize the public and community leaders about the dangers and social injustice of tobacco industry marketing.  It engages local community champions to promote changes that limit the commercial tobacco industry's presence, demoralize, and deglamorize tobacco use, and eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke.  The youth-led, adult-supported movement, Reality Check, empowers young people, aged 13 to 18, to become leaders in their communities and expose the manipulative and deceptive marketing tactics of the tobacco industry.

New York State is a leader in commercial tobacco control.  Policies to make tobacco products less accessible and less acceptable include the 2020 end to the sale of flavored vapor products, a 20 percent tax on vapor products, and a restriction on tobacco and vapor product advertising close to schools.  The State's strong programming and policies have reduced youth cigarette use to a record low.  About 1 in 50 youth (2.1 percent) in New York State smoke cigarettes, but nearly 1 in 5 youth (18.7 percent) report vaping tobacco or nicotine, making e-cigarettes the most used tobacco product among youth.  Many young people want and try to quit vaping.  To assist youth in successfully quitting, New York provides a free, confidential text-message service called This is Quitting developed by Truth Initiative with input from young people who want to quit vaping.  It is an evidence-based service specifically designed for youth and young adults, aged 13 to 24.  To access the service, young people can text "DroptheVape" to 88709 to receive age-appropriate messages and motivation that support quit efforts.  To promote this service, the Department provides free posters, palm cards, and rack cards in English and Spanish.  Materials can be ordered by going to the Publication Catalog and clicking on "S" in the index for Smoking, Vaping, and Commercial Tobacco Use.

New Yorkers who want help to quit smoking or vaping, including counseling and medication, can talk to a health care provider or contact the New York State Quitline.  The New York State Quitline provides free, confidential services, including information, tools, quit coaching, support in both English and Spanish, and free Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), such as patches and gum.  Services are available by calling 1-866 NY-QUITS (1-866-697-8487), texting (716) 309-4688, or visiting www.nysmokefree.com for information, to chatting online with a Quit Coach or signing up for Learn2QuitNY, a six-week, step-by-step text messaging program to build the skills needed to quit any tobacco product.