 St. Lucia recently joined the rest of the world in observing World No Tobacco Day. The event, which was organized by the World Health Organization, seeks to discourage persons from tobacco use. This year's observances are being held under the theme, Commit to Quit. In a panel discussion held to mark the occasion, Senior Medical Officer for Non-Communicable Diseases, Dr. Shana Sierra-Filbert, reminded the public of some of the dangers of tobacco use. Smoking affects every organ in the body, especially your respiratory system. So of course you're inhaling smoke, your body was not made to inhale smoke and so the whole immune system of your respiratory system is affected. So smokers tend to be more prone to getting respiratory diseases like tuberculosis, they get flu, etc., diseases like that more often than someone who does not smoke. In 2019 and 2020, St. Lucia enacted a new legislation designed to reduce the number of public locations in which people can smoke. Deputy Director of the Substance Abuse Advisory Council Secretariat, Joanna Joseph Henry, explained the intended benefits of the laws. The big concern right now is to try as much as possible to reduce the exposure, the initiation of our young persons into tobacco use. The Public Health Act was revised to allow the control of smoking in public places, in workplaces, enclosed public places as well as outdoor public places. So the purpose of all of that is to reduce the exposure of individuals to tobacco smoke. The 2021 World No Tobacco Day Observances also included the unveiling of a new mascot named Luther Lung which was designed by a student of the St. Mary's College. For the Ministry of Health and Wellness, I am Jack Hingson-Compton.