World Anti-Smoking Day

World No Tobacco Day is an anniversary, celebrated annually on May 31 to encourage people to abstain from tobacco consumption for at least 24 hours, inviting them to quit smoking permanently.

The day was first announced by the World Health Organization on 7 April 1988 and has since been greeted with growing interest from governments, health organizations and the public. The habit of tobacco smoke negatively affects health by increasing the risk of respiratory, cardiovascular and oncological diseases, as well as generating a negative effect on the reproductive system by reducing fertility in men and women.

For the WHO, smoking represents a real threat to the development of nations around the world. And precisely through this year's slogan "Tobacco is a threat to development", WHO asks governments to implement strong control measures, which also include the marketing and advertising ban on tobacco, the ban on smoking in workplaces and public places.

In Italy, a ban on smoking in closed rooms has been in force since 2003, except for private ones that are not open to the public and those reserved for smokers, whose ventilation and air exchange systems meet certain technical characteristics (Law January 16, 2003 , no. 3 art. 51).