Declare World No Tobacco Day

May 31, 2018, as World No Tobacco Day in the State of New York WHEREAS, World No Tobacco Day is observed around the world every year on May 31st; it is meant to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption across the globe; the day is further intended to draw global attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and to negative health effects, which currently lead to 5.4 million deaths worldwide annually; and WHEREAS, World No Tobacco Day is sponsored by the World Health Organization to call worldwide attention to the impact of tobacco use on the public health and has been observed annually since 1988 throughout the world; and WHEREAS, The World Health Organization estimates that there are more than 1.1 billion smokers in the world, about one-third of the global population aged 15 years and older; and WHEREAS, Short-term health risks of tobacco use include shortness of breath, increased heart rate, exacerbation of asthma, impotence, infertility and increased blood levels of carbon monoxide; long-term health risks caused by tobacco use include heart attack, stroke, cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; and WHEREAS, Second-hand smoke is an established cause of lung cancer in non-smokers, and exposure to second-hand smoke in the home is a significant cause of respiratory ailments in children, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome; and WHEREAS, As of 1991, over 90 percent of the United States population, regardless of smoking status, had measurable amounts of a by-product of cigarette smoke in their bodies -- indicating the exposure to second-hand smoke was massive; significant progress has been made since then in reducing these exposures, primarily through State and local regulations and voluntary policy changes by employers; and WHEREAS, World No Tobacco Day 2018 aims to: highlight the links between the use of tobacco products and heart and other cardiovascular diseases; increase awareness within the broader public of the impact tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke have on cardiovascular health; and WHEREAS, The focus of World No Tobacco Day 2018 is "Tobacco and heart disease"; the campaign will increase awareness on the: link between tobacco and heart and other cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including stroke, which combined are the world's leading causes of death; and feasible actions and measures that key audiences, including governments and the public, can take to reduce the risks to heart health posed by tobacco; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to memorialize Governor Andrew M. Cuomo to proclaim May 31, 2018, as World No Tobacco Day in the State of New York, and to encourage all of its citizens to participate by not starting to smoke, by attempting to stop, and by encouraging others to do the same; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New York.