World No Tobacco Day

Observed annually on 31 May since 1987, this WHO day highlights the health, social, and environmental harms of tobacco and pushes for stronger tobacco control policy, including implementation of decisions from COP11 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

“Unmask the appeal – countering tobacco and nicotine addiction” focuses on looking beyond the attractive appearance and marketing of modern tobacco and nicotine products to expose the strategies used to make addictive products seem desirable, fashionable, innovative or harmless.

The 2026 campaign highlighted products and tactics including flavored tobacco and nicotine products, sleek product designs, synthetic nicotine, nicotine salts, digital marketing and social-media promotion. It called for stronger policies to reduce product appeal, protect young people from addiction and ensure that people who use tobacco or nicotine can access evidence-based support to quit.

• Expose tobacco and nicotine industry's strategies for creating product appeal.
• Protect children and adolescents from nicotine addiction.
• Address the use of flavors, packaging and product design to attract new users.
• Regulate advertising, promotion and sponsorship, including digital and social media.
• Strengthen restrictions on products designed to appeal to young people.
• Improve public understanding of nicotine addiction and its health consequences.
• Counter misleading perceptions that newer nicotine products are harmless.
• Strengthen tobacco- and nicotine-free schools and public environments.
• Expand access to evidence-based tobacco cessation services.
• Integrate cessation support into primary healthcare.
• Improve access to appropriate cessation medicines and counseling.
• Strengthen tobacco-control policies and implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
• Empower young people to recognize and resist industry influence.
• Monitor emerging products such as e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, heated tobacco products and synthetic nicotine products.

• Tobacco
• Nicotine
• Tobacco use
• Nicotine addiction
• Tobacco dependence
• Cigarette smoking
• Smokeless tobacco
• e-cigarettes
• Vaping
• Nicotine pouches
• Heated tobacco products
• Synthetic nicotine
• Nicotine salts
• Flavored tobacco
• Youth tobacco use
• Youth vaping
• Tobacco marketing
• Digital marketing
• Advertising
• Product design
• Packaging
• Tobacco industry interference
• Addiction
• Smoking cessation
• Quit support
• Nicotine replacement therapy
• Tobacco control
• WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
• Smoke-free environments
• Lung disease
• COPD
• Cardiovascular disease
• Cancer
• Respiratory disease