Churches, schools can spread the message, Adventist church leaders say
Saving the next generation from tobacco addiction is the focus of the upcoming World No Tobacco Day, which takes place May 31.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church and its humanitarian agency, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, are offering resources in promoting awareness of the dangers of tobacco to churches, schools and community members.
With this year’s theme of “Tobacco-Free Youth,” The World Health Organization’s World No Tobacco Day calls attention to how tobacco use impacts public health and aims to reduce individual tobacco dependence worldwide.
Tobacco kills nearly 15,000 people every day with a majority of smokers taking up the habit long before turning 21, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Some 25 percent of smokers smoke their first cigarettes before their 10th birthday, WHO says.
“Their [the tobacco companies’] very survival hinges on turning millions of children into lifelong tobacco users,” says Charles Sandefur, president of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency International. “It is essential that we not only raise awareness of the dangers of tobacco use around the world, but that we also protect our children from the health problems that smoking can cause.”
“Participating in World No Tobacco Day is a great opportunity for Adventists to be faithful and loyal to our tradition of health,” says Roy Branson, director of the Center for Law and Public Policy at Adventist-owned Columbia Union College in Takoma Park, Maryland. Branson headed up an inter-religious coalition in 1998, which advocated for tobacco policy changes in the United States Congress. Much of that work has been taken over by the Center for Tobacco-Free Kids.
To order a free resources from ADRA, including a World No Tobacco Day sheet and a 10 minute DVD, see adra.org or call 1-800-424-2372.
To learn more about the Adventist Church’s pioneering Breathe-Free smoking cessation program, e-mail sanchezl(at)gc.adventist.org.
