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FIJI College of General Practitioners president Dr Ram Raju said stakeholders should find ways to curb the growing acreage under tobacco.
He said stakeholders should try and work towards a smoke-free Fiji.
He said if tobacco was the second highest risk factor contributing to non-communicable diseases then something should be done to stop the cultivation. . . .
The summit is hosted by the Health Ministry bringing together traders, farmers, health workers, policy makers and regulators.
The end result will be a series of recommendations put to Cabinet to help improve food security and consequently the health of the people of Fiji.
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Fewer Fiji students are smoking cigarettes and taking drugs compared to two years ago, according to the Ministry of Education.
According to the Education Ministry’s National Substance Abuse Advisory Council, drug-related offences in schools have declined by 44 per cent. . . .
reported cases of cigarette smoking amongst students also dropped by 4 per cent.
World No Tobacco Day will be celebrated this Saturday at Syria Park in Nausori.
The World Health Organization and Ministry Of Health are inviting members of the public in the Nausori area to be part of the celebrations which will begin at 8am.
SMOKING in bars was banned a few years ago in Finland, and nowadays even the memories of smoky bars are as hazy as the cigarette smoke itself. It is still to be discovered if the percentage of all smokers has dropped due to the legislation, but it is a solid fact that as long as there is this unhealthy habit there will be those trying to quit it and also those who will offer help.
One of the past favourites was the book Stop Smoking Permanently (Allen Carr, 1995). After reading it there was simply no need to smoke. Other methods include patches, nicotine gum or worse, some other unhealthy habit. Meanwhile, another kind of help appeared: psychological.
A surprising Finnish study casts doubts on the common assumption smokers have that their unhealthy habit helps keep them thin.
Specifically, the researchers found that teens who smoke heavily were more likely to grow up to be fat.
There's still no evidence that cigarettes directly cause obesity, but "this is one more thing people should take into account when they consider their smoking habits," said study author Dr. Suoma Saarni, a researcher at the University of Helsinki.
American experts, however, are somewhat skeptical of the findings, which are published in the February issue of the American Journal of Public Health. . . .
Why might smoking lead to obesity? Saarni said it could have something to do with changes in the body's metabolism -- its ability to process food and keep fat from building up.
Michael Siegel, professor at Boston University School of Public Health, said there may not be a direct link.
Most likely, he said, "smokers tend to have a constellation of poor health habits, including poorer diet and less physical activity. It is most likely that these factors, and not the smoking itself, is causing them to become obese."
Pastors in Fiji's largest and most influential Christian church have been ordered to stop smoking and cannot drink yaqona, Fiji's kava, the Fiji Times reports.
The Methodist Church's 500 pastors and thousands of lay ministers were told to give up the vices for the betterment of their congregations.
The Fiji Methodist Church's vice president, the Rev. Tuikilakila Waqairatu, said Christians who have given their lives to God are living witnesses of the body of Christ.
The Fiji Cancer Society has today revealed that it is pushing hard to ban the sale of individual cigarettes.
President Marilyn Curtis said these steps need to be taken urgently due to the growing number of children smoking cigarettes in the country.
Curtis said parents should also play their part and take their responsibility
THE sale of single cigarettes could be stopped as a way of curbing underage smoking.
The Tobacco Control Enforcement Unit said in a statement that tackling underage smoking was a complex issue, especially for enforcement officers.
The unit said that minors caught smoking in public transport in the past weeks bought the cigarettes from private homes and bean cart vendors.
Tobacco Control Unit enforcement officers Marika Bonner and Asivurusi Taganeredina at work at the Suva bus stand.
THE Tobacco Control Unit has arrested six students and five public service vehicle drivers last week for smoking at the Suva Bus Stand.
Enforcement officer Asivorosi Tuiqali said the 11 offenders were charged to pay $50 each within 21 days from the day they were booked. Failing that they could face the maximum penalty of $500 fine.
"The offenders were caught smoking at the Suva Bus Stand last week. "Six of them are secondary school students and I booked three bus drivers, a mini bus driver and a taxi driver," Mr Tuiqali said.
"Most of the people know that it is unlawful to smoke in a public place, but they just don't care to follow the law," he said.
The Fijian retailer has revealed that home-made cigarette brands helped spark a combined arrivals and departures sales increase in 2007
Fijian retailer Tappoo registered a 12% increase in combined arrivals and departures tobacco sales at Nadi International airport in 2007. Home-made brands such as Benson & Hedges and Rothmans were the best-selling products. Despite the increase, the tobacco category has not always performed well, according to the company.
Tappoo executive director Kaushal Tappoo told DFNIonline: "There was a time when customers could bring two sleeves of tobacco into the country and sales were not so high. Now they can only bring one, which has helped to improve our arrivals tobacco business. Customers are now paying a bit more for the sleeves compared with three years ago, which is making arrivals tobacco very strong."
THE newly established Tobacco Control Enforcement Unit wants the State to allocate an additional $1million a year to address smokers' rehabilitation.
Officer-in-charge Ifiremi Corerega said the State generated $59 million a year in taxes from the sale of cigarettes and it would be advisable that a portion of it assist those willing to give up smoking.
His comments follow news that 20 students, some in school uniforms, were caught and charged with smoking in no smoking zones during a two-day annual athletic competition a fortnight ago. . . .
"I'm not trying to tell the State where to direct its money but measures to curb cigarette smuggling and selling cigarette to minors as well as assisting those who want to give up the urge but find it hard to must be looked into," Mr Corerega said.
A licensing system over the sale of cigarettes is being proposed to control its sale, he said.
The Fijian Teachers Association is concerned about secondary students smoking in public places after school hours.
This concern comes after several students were seen smoking at the former Fiji Times front office along Gordon Street, which is now an internet cafe.
Association president Tevita Koroi said it was nothing new for students to be caught or seen smoking in public places.
RECENT population-based studies have shown a decrease in smoking prevalence in several age groups in Fiji.
Fiji's Interim Minister for Health Dr Jona Senilagakali made the revelation at discussions on Tobacco Control on the third day of the 58th Session of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Committee Meeting in Jeju, Korea.
And despite concerns with issues such as tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and the increase in illicit trade of tobacco products, the Ministry of Health remained committed to control efforts on tobacco use
SMOKING has decreased amongst several age groups in Fiji, says the interim Minister for Health Dr Jona Senilagakali.
He was speaking at the 58th Session of the World Health Organisation Regional Committee meeting at Jeju in Korea and made the revelations during discussions on Tobacco Control.
This revelation, Dr Jona said in a statement, was based on recent population based studies among several age groups in Fiji.
He said the Ministry of Health remained committed to controlling the efforts of tobacco use and this was shown through its health promotion in 2002 and the establishment of the Tobacco Law Enforcement Unit.
A COMPANY'S social report for the year concerning youth smoking prevention revealed it would be stretching the boundaries of their appropriate involvement for it to be directly in contact with underage individuals who chose to smoke.
British American Tobacco Fiji in its 2007 Fiji Social Report stated it had been asked if it could held establish a helpline for children who smoked and who were under the age of 18, during dialogue sessions with stakeholders in August, last year.
The company's response was that they had a number of youth smoking prevention initiatives in place