Tobacco.org

Why smoking law had to be amended 

THE Minister of Health Lesego Motsumi told Parliament yesterday that the Control of Smoking Act of 1992 must be amended because of the difficulties encountered in its enforcement and the burden it places on non-smokers.

"The act (Smoking Act of 1992) was enacted in 1992 and a decade later difficulties have been found in its enforcement and the act, as it is, places a burden on non-smokers to request non-smoking areas," Motsumi said. . . .

It is an attempt by the ministry to revamp the current law in a bid to make work places and entertainment areas risk free to non-smokers and introduce new and strict penalties for violating the smoking ban and related infringements. . . .

If the bill is passed into law, it is expected that owners of lodges and other places of relaxation must cater for non-smokers.

Under the new law, the owner of a lodge, for example, must make sure that there are separate places for smokers and non-smokers.

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Botswana moves to an almost total ban on smoking 

In a move that amounts an almost total ban, Botswana is seeking to tighten legislation to stop smoking in all private or public places, public transport and workplaces - and to restrict smoking where there are children, pregnant or lactating mothers.

Even in homes, families would have to protect children from the effects of smoking. Many public places already prohibit smoking except in designated areas. The age at which persons may purchase tobacco products or sell them would be raised to 18 years, with penalties for retailers who do not comply including fines of up to 5 000 pula or three months in jail, or both.

According to a bill in the Government Gazette dated July 6 and distributed Friday, the only seeming exclusion is a place of lodging, where the owner may designate smoking rooms provided they are physically detached from the 'non-smoking' areas.

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New Tobacco Bill in the Offing 

THE Minister of Health Lesego Motsumi is scheduled to present to Parliament the Control of Smoking (Amendment) Bill, 2004. The Bill seeks to amend some of the clauses of the present Smoking Act and ban smoking in public places.

The Bill is an attempt by the Ministry to revamp the current Act in a bid to make the work place and entertainment areas risk free to non-smokers.

It introduces new and strict penalties for violating the smoking ban and related infringements.

According to government's extraordinary gazette, the Bill seeks to protect people who do not smoke from smokers in public places. It will ban bosses from smoking in their offices.

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Editorial Enforce the anti-smoking ban 

THOUGH there is a legislation that prohibits smoking in public places, this seemingly has not discouraged smokers from puffing away everywhere, anytime. There can be only one explanation for this. The law is not being enforced.

A question could be asked. How many people have been punished for contravening this piece of legislation? If there are any, the number is negligible. . . .

As the Minister of Health prepares to bring a new bill to Parliament in a bid to curb public smoking, it is time to look at other loopholes that exist in the present legislation.

As in developed countries that are serious about protecting the health of their young people, shop attendants must demand a purchaser's ID if they suspect them to be under-age, rather than give them the benefit of the doubt, as is presently the case. It is also time to review the prescribed penalties for offenders, and determine if they are really a deterrent.

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Smoking contributes to poverty 

WHO country representative, Dr Jean Kalilani, said at World No Tobacco Day in Molepolole, that tobacco also contributes to high public health costs of treating tobacco related diseases.

Tobacco use also kills people at the height of their productivity, depriving families of breadwinners and nations a healthy workforce.

Kalilani lamented that current smoking mortality is the result of past lifetimes of tobacco consumption during the day commemorated under theme: Tobacco and Poverty, a Vicious Circle.

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Editorial The other side of the anti-tobacco war 

A number of callers to radio stations on World No Smoking Day, called for stern control measures that would either curb smoking, or lead to a considerable decline in the incidence of smoking. Some called for the outright ban of smoking. What, perhaps, escaped the notice of the callers is that Botswana has a progressive anti-smoking legislation. . . .

While concerns that give rise to the "ban-smoking" lobby are understandable, caution must be made against the temptation to rush to such extreme measures. There is no proof that outlawing an act leads to its cessation. . . .

A lasting solution lies in people learning to take responsibility for their lives including their health. Only when every smoker has kicked the habit, not out of fear of the law, but out of choice would the victory be sweet.

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Ministry in process of amending smoking act 

The Ministry of Health is in the process of amending the Control of Smoking Act of 1992 to impose a total ban on smoking in public places.

However, Minister Motsumi said after requests from the tobacco industry, the envisaged legislative amendment would be discussed for all interested parties to have an opportunity to comment once the bill has been gazetted for public comment.

The legislation is an answer to risks of serious illnesses and premature deaths that smokers and their families faced, she said when delivering a speech to commemorate World no Tobacco Day on May 31 held under the theme: "Tobacco and Poverty: a Vicious Circle".

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Botswana gets anti-smoking drug 

A new drug has been introduced into the Botswana market for smokers who want to quit.

According to Professor Elvis Irusen of Stellenbosch University who was speaking at a press conference in Gaborone yesterday, the drug - Zyban - has been studied for over a decade and is the first of its kind to help smokers to quit. "There have never been any medication to help smokers quit," he said...

The drug costs P165 a month at manufacturing prices and could possibly go up to P300 at retail prices. Medical Aid currently does not cover it. He said the medication is bound to save costs in the long term. The drug has been available in South Africa for a year and has also been used in other countries such as United States and Canada.

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World No Tobacco Day to be commemorated in Molepolole 

This year's "World No Tobacco Day" will be commemorated in Molepolole on Sunday under the theme: "Tobacco and Poverty".

Former Lentsweletau MP David Magang is expected to be the guest speaker.

The aim of the day is to sensitise people about the harm that tobacco smokers inflict on their families and ultimately on the nation at large.

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MoH makes progress in Smoking Act 

THE Environmental Health division in the Ministry of Health has made some progress in its negotiations aimed at repealing the Control of Smoking Act of 1992 (CSA 1992). The consultations are however still on going and the views would be incorporated and presented to the consultant.

The negotiations were part of the consensus that the ministry is trying to get from key stakeholders to support the Act.

"We have reached a consensus and have come up with an initial draft," Senior Health Officer Tuduetso Ramokate said yesterday.

The new Act is meant to provide a comprehensive tobacco control regime unlike the previous one.

Key stakeholders in the discussions are the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Botswana Bureau of Standards (BOBS) and the Attorney Generals (AG) chambers.

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Stakeholders meet on new Tobacco Act 

THE Ministry of Health (MoH) and other stakeholders met behind closed doors at the Gaborone International Convention Centre (GICC) on Monday to agree on the proposed Tobacco Product Control Act of 2003.

Among others, the Act aims to regulate the importation of tobacco products into the country.

The meeting was meant to discuss the draft of the Act and agree on how it would be presented to government.

The new Act would replace the Control of Smoking Act of 1992, which officials at the workshop agreed should be scrapped. The meeting was supposed to agree on new measures to curb attractive advertising and packaging of tobacco products.

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Batswana urged to join fight against smoking 

Batswana must join the international community in the fight against smoking because the habit is a health hazard responsible for the deaths of over three million people every year globally.

Ministry of Health official Rosina Diseko warned during a one-day workshop in Gaborone to sensitise people on the dangers of smoking, that by indulging in the practice, individuals were risking their lives.

She said the death toll keeps on rising globally because of tobacco related ailments and to stem the tide people must quit smoking. . . .

The chairperson of Stop Smoking Support Group (SSSG) Simon Mophakedi said the workshop was to equip smokers with skills and other means to assist them to stop smoking and evaluate whether their efforts have had an impact.

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Smoking Receives More Attention 

MORE Batswana are becoming aware of the harmful affects of smoking because of the government's anti-smoking campaign.

The government forged a partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and smokers in Botswana to tackle the problem. It is especially smoking among the youth that alarms the authorities. The Ministry of Health conducted a school-based survey in 2001 and revealed that 14% of school-going kids were using tobacco and 6% smoked cigarettes.

Last year, Botswana became signed the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Moscow, Russia.

The survey among scholars revealed that most students had easy access to cigarettes because they were not barred from purchasing them from shops.

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The bad effects of smoking 

She sat in the conference hall earnestly reading Quit for Life (or Q4L), the smoker's guide to throwing away tobacco for life. She had been among the early comers to the Environmental Health Unit's anti-smoking classes. . .

"Most smokers are aware of the health effects, but most continue because they are trapped in the habit," said Bontle Mbongwe who heads Ministry of Health's (MoH) Environmental Health Unit (EHU). She says her department is aware that hundreds of people want to stop smoking, but lack advice and a caring atmosphere that go hand in hand with quitting.

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Different Anti-smoking Act interpretations hamper efforts to enforce the law 

Inadequate comprehension of the requirements of the law on smoking is hampering efforts to comply with its stipulations in some public places.

Following complaints by environmental health authorities that some sections of the Control of Smoking Act of 1992 have loop-holes and thus open to misinterpretation, mostly by private company owners, it has come to light that people have different interpretations of some provisions of the Act.

Director of Daewoo Motors, Dusko Stevanovic said the management of his company was aware of the Act and that smokers used a smoking room. . .

However the head of the environmental health unit in the ministry of health, Bontle Mbongwe, says some people misinterpreted section 3 sub-section 3 (a) of the Act to mean that smoking is allowed in an office that one occupies alone.

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