15 May 2019

Every year, on 31 May, is an opportunity to highlight World Smokefree Day.

It's a day of raising awareness of the harmful effects of tobacco use and second-hand smoke exposure and to encourage people who smoke to quit.

Our Director, Professor Chris Bullen says “Smoking tobacco is an incredibly risky and expensive behaviour but it is also highly addictive - so it’s very hard to stop smoking once you’ve started. On World Smokefree Day we encourage people who want to quit smoking to seek support and have a go; or if you have friends or whanau who should quit smoking, to encourage and support them on their quit journey.”

Prof Bullen says “Our research over the past 15 years has shown that having support from your health provider or local stop smoking services, directly or via text, together with medication or reduced-harm products like e-cigarettes can more than double your chances of successfully quitting and getting your life and health back.”

See more about our research into smoking and other addictive behaviours here and find out more about what's happening here.