World No Tobacco Day 2025

Press Release

May 29, 2025

Established by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1987, World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), is observed annually on May 31 to draw global attention to:

• the harms of using commercial tobacco
• the business practices of tobacco companies
• the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes

WNTD is focused on raising awareness of harms of commercial tobacco* use and the benefits of quitting.

This year’s WNTD theme is “Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products.” The goal of this year’s campaign is to expose the strategies used by the commercial tobacco and nicotine industries to make their products appealing, particularly to youth. For example, tactics, such as flavouring, that encourage initiation of nicotine product use, while also making quitting more challenging.

Canada has been recognized as a word leader for tobacco control strategy and regulation of the industry, establishing new standards in the packaging and labelling requirements of tobacco products. Canada became the first country in the world to require health warnings directly on each individual cigarette. Most recently, a historic case was settled in Canada with three tobacco companies directed to pay out $32 billion in compensation to provinces, territories and Canadians who smoked.

Despite significant progress in Canada and worldwide on tobacco control, the commercial tobacco and nicotine industries continue to adjust their strategies to attract new and retain current consumers.

*It is important to recognize that commercial tobacco does not include traditional tobacco used by Indigenous people. Traditional or sacred tobacco differs from commercial tobacco both in the way that it is harvest and the way it is used in ceremony and prayer, often for healing and purifying. Traditional tobacco is an important part of wellbeing for many Indigenous people.

Get Involved in World No Tobacco Day!

Attend a webinar:

• Watch the WHO’s World No Tobacco Day webinar event: Exposing lies, protecting lives: Unmask the appeal of tobacco and nicotine products.

Explore tools and resources:

• Not an Experiment (NAE): A resource for educators and parents aimed to prevent the initiation and escalation of vaping among youth in grades 7 to 12.
  • Read highlights about the vaping industry.

Resources to support quitting:

• Quash:
  • Free app to support quitting smoking or vaping for youth and emerging adults (ages 14-30), that makes it easy to build a custom plan for quitting.
  • Brief Conversations Toolkit: developed by Ontario public health units and the Lung Health Foundation to support those who work with youth to understand and apply brief contact intervention practices to support youth who smoke, vape or use other nicotine products.

• Smokers’ Helpline: Free and confidential service that offers support and information about quitting smoking and tobacco use. Contact Health811 by calling 811 or 1-866-797-0007 or Text IQUIT to 123456.

• Talk Tobacco: is a free confidential service offering culturally inclusive and accessible support about quitting or reducing smoking, vaping and commercial tobacco use to First Nations, Inuit, Metis and urban Indigenous communities. Supports can be provided in in English, French and 24 Indigenous languages by:
  • Phone: 1 833 998-TALK (8255)
  • Text: Text CHANGE to 123456
  • Online: Live Chat and Online Community Support

Resources from Public Health Ontario:

• Smoke-Free Series: Role of Mass Media in Tobacco and Vaping Protection
• Smoke-Free Series: Tobacco and Vaping Retail Environments
• Exposure to Tobacco Smoke, Vape Aerosol and Cannabis Smoke Among Adults in Ontario

IHT5