The Directorate of Health
World No Tobacco Day 2025. Raise awareness of the harmful tactics of the tobacco industry.
31st May 2025
The World Health Organization (WHO) holds World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) annually on 31 May. This year, the goal is to raise awareness about the risks associated with tobacco use and how we can work towards a tobacco-free world. This year’s WNTD campaign aims to highlight the strategies employed by the tobacco and nicotine industries to make their harmful products appealing, particularly to young people.
-Automatic translation
Despite significant progress in global tobacco control, the tobacco and nicotine industry continues to attract new users through targeted marketing while also retaining older consumers. These efforts undermine public health and focus on vulnerable groups.
The marketing of tobacco and nicotine predominantly centres on appealing packaging and digital advertising campaigns. This year's theme for World No Tobacco Day aims to expose the tactics employed by the tobacco and nicotine industry to make its harmful products attractive, particularly to young people. In doing so, WHO seeks to highlight the potential opportunities presented by implementing a ban on flavours in tobacco and nicotine products and to encourage stricter regulations that prevent the marketing of harmful products.
According to a recent report from the Nordic Welfare Centre, Icelandic youth use nicotine products more extensively than their peers in the other Nordic and Baltic countries. To reduce the harmful effects of tobacco and other nicotine products, it is essential to implement active and effective measures based on government policies. In addition to the recommendations identified by WHO, the most effective way to reduce consumption, particularly among young people, is to increase taxes on these products. At the beginning of this year, a new tax was imposed on nicotine products in Iceland. The aim of the amendment is to address the rising use of nicotine products among young people. As stated in the recently published Talnabrunnur, the initial results from the Directorate of Health indicate that the use of nicotine pouches has decreased in the first quarter of 2025, suggesting that the legislative change is already beginning to have an effect.
More information
Viðar Jensson, project manager
hafsteinn.v.jensson@landlaeknir.is