Students from St. Thomas Aquinas Senior High School have benefitted from education on the dangers of tobacco use by The Awareness Club (TAC).

The campaign involved an interactive session with the students on the harmful effects of tobacco and substance abuse in general.

The Team Lead for TAC, Ms. Mavis Buari highlighted how important the theme is to the Ghanaian community, especially children, adolescents and the youth. “The tobacco industry is now sophisticated such that they produce e-cigarettes that essentially target younger populations. This is so because tobacco generally does not have a pleasant taste.

“However, adding flavours masks the unpleasant taste giving tobacco products a great appeal. This entices children, adolescents and young adults into consuming tobacco which is highly addictive. The WHO reports that smoking is the leading cause of death and is harmful to every organ in the human body.  Therefore, it is our duty as a community to raise awareness on the harmful effects of tobacco and the activities of the tobacco industry,” she said.

World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) was created by member states of the World Health Organization in 1987 to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable deaths and diseases it causes. WNTD is celebrated on 31^st May annually.

This year, the theme for commemorating the day was protecting children from tobacco industry interference.

The club's legal advisor, Eulalia Buari, added, “TAC’s mission is to raise awareness about critical socio-economic, health, and developmental issues, and advocate for the holistic well-being of marginalized groups. As a club, celebrating this day perfectly aligns with our mission.”

This campaign is the second activity of the club, with the first being a sanitation and hygiene campaign among Kayayei in the Madina Market.

The Patron of the Club, Mr. Harold Lumor added how important the club is in recent times.

“TAC comes to cut through the clutter and focus on the critical emerging issues. Smoking and substance abuse is never the solution to whatever challenge you are facing. In any case, there is a redemption for individuals who are hooked on to it. Seek professional help from doctors and counsellors.”

Ebenezer Sanka, a student shared this, “I have learnt about the harmful effects of tobacco and substance abuse in general and I will make sure I share this knowledge with other students.”