CPS: May 31 is World No Tobacco Day. Grow Food, Not Tobacco

GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – A record 349 million people across 79 countries are facing acute food insecurity, many are in low- and middle-income countries, according to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

“Over 30 are on the African continent. Many of these countries use large areas of fertile land to grow tobacco rather than healthy food.

“Tobacco-growing countries often face a negative economic impact due to the adverse health, environmental and social impacts of growing tobacco. In many cases, foreign exchange earned from tobacco exports is used to import food.

“Growing tobacco causes ill health among farmers and farm workers and irreversible environmental loss of precious resources such as water sources, forests, plants, and animal species,” - PAHO.

The theme for World No Tobacco Day on May 31 is “Grow Food, Not Tobacco.”

Every year, on 31 May, the World Health Organization (WHO) and global partners celebrate World No Tobacco Day (WNTD).

PAHO says the tobacco industry interferes with attempts to substitute tobacco growing, contributing to the global food crisis.

The 2023 PAHO campaign encourages governments to end tobacco growing subsidies and use the savings to support farmers to switch to more sustainable crops that improve food security and nutrition.

The Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department in the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, annually profiles the global theme for World No Tobacco Day which is part of the department's calendar of health observances.

For more information call CPS at 542-3003; or email surveillance@sintmaartengov.org