Thailand observes World No Tobacco Day

BANGKOK, May 31 (TNA) - Thailand observes World No Tobacco Day, which falls on every May 31, as the Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the theme of “Ban tobacco advertise, promotion and sponsorship” for 2013. Among activities organized nationwide to mark the World No Tobacco Day on Friday, a non-smoking campaign is held at the hall of the 100th Year Somdech Phra Srinagarindra Building in Bangkok's Siriraj Hospital, where there are also exhibitions on smoking and cancer and the display of lung tumors caused by cancer to convince people to either quit smoking or not to try to smoke. There are also basic physical checkups, lung function tests and advice on smoking cancellation. The National Statistical Office (NSO) reported, meanwhile, that, 21 out of 100, or one-fifth, of Thai people aged 15 upward smoked in 2011. Although the smoking rate declined slightly, but 18 out of the 21 smokers were regular smokers who smoked 11 cigarettes a day, meaning that they each smoked at least 300 cigarettes or 15 packets of cigarettes monthly. The NSO pointed out if a cigarette pack costs 60 baht, smokers are to pay at least 900 baht for smoking monthly and if such a smoker earns the current daily minimum wage of 300 baht, it means that the smoker is to work for free for three days monthly. The NSO, which conducts a smoking survey in Thailand every three years, warned that smoking raises many health risks, including heart diseases (by two times), emphysema (by six times) and lung cancer (by 10 times). (TNA)