Tobacco.org

EDITORIAL: Tobacco and the human health  

Despite several warnings that smoking is dangerous, cancer has remained a serious problem. Although, the number of cancers seen each year is slightly above average for an old industrial urban state, the death rate from cancer is well above the national average. Six out of ten cancers are curable. Of the other four, two could have been prevented. The use of tobacco is the leading preventable killer in most countries. And deaths from tobacco related cancers: lungs, throat, or bladder cancer is 10 to 15% higher. Unfortunately, even with the best treatment available today, nine out of ten lung cancers are fatal.

We know that the nicotine in tobacco is an addictive drug. We now face an epidemic of youthful nicotine addiction . . .

So, without smoking, a healthy diet, more exercise, and an aspirin a day, you can prevent many of the most deadly cancers and along the way improve your heart health. Being cancer-smart can be heart-smart as well.

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• WHO convention on tobacco control ratified  

Dr Tamsir Mbowe, Secretary of State for Health and Social Welfare on Tuesday tabled before members of the National Assembly, the World Health Organisation Convention on Tobacco Control for ratification. The objective of this convention and its protocols, is to protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tabacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke by providing a framework for tobacco control measures to be implemented by the parties at the national, regional and international levels, in order to reduce continually and substantially the prevelance of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke.

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Country is Yet to Ratify Convention On Tobacco Control, Says Gassama 

"At The World Health Assembly in May 2003, the member states of the World Health Organisation (WHO) agreed on a ground breaking public health treaty to control tobacco supply and consumption." Says WHO Communications Officer, Mr. Gassama.

He noted that the text of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) covers tobacco taxation, illicit trade, advertising, sponsorship and promotion, and product regulation.

Mr. Gassama stated that the Republic of Tanzania is the latest African country to ratify the WHO frame-work Convention on Tobacco Control on the 30th of April 2007.

According to Mr. Gassama, the Gambia signed the WHO FCTC on the 16th of June 2003, but has not yet ratified it.

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Youth in Anti-Public Smoking March 

Hundreds of demonstrating youth marking World Tobacco Day handed over a petition in the form of a banner called for the enforcement of the Anti-Public Smoking law. The youth, led by Speaker of the National Youth Parliament, Lamin F. Bojang, handed over the banner to the Speaker of the National Assembly who is expected to, in turn, hand it over to the Inspector General of Police. Smoking in public was legislated against since June 1998 but the law remains widely unrecognized and few even can remember it.

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Gov't Ready to Combat Tobacco Smoking 

A tripartite condemnation by the executive, legislative and the security forces prohibiting the importation, distribution and sale of tobacco that is claimed to have been the cause of the death of millions of people hits up at the World No Tobacco Day celebration at the National Assembly yesterday.

Hon Churchill Baldeh, the majority leader of the National Assembly, who deputised for the Speaker of the National Assembly, as the guest speaker, said to combat the use of tobacco needs the participation of all and sundry. "We should all campaign against tobacco as it is eating into our youth fabrics, the cream of our nation. The police and other security agents should help to achieve our aim in combating smoking tobacco. MRC has done it. None of their staff smokes in their premises. We can also stop smoking in our offices and work places," he said.

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Youth smokers to die 25 years earlier 

Samba Faal, secretary of state for Youth and Sports, has informed youths that they risk dying at an early age if they continue smoking.

Speaking at the launching of the 'Youth Prevention Campaign' initiated by British American Tobacco last week, Mr Faal said research has shown that people who smoke in their teens and continue for two decades or more, will die 20 or 25 years earlier than those who never smoke...

Mr Fall noted the efforts of British American Tobacco in its campaign against youth smoking and its ban on under aged from smoking its products.

"This initiative will further compliment government's efforts, which has already taken a bold step by enacting a ban on tobacco advertisement and on public smoking," he said.

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Smoking initiation among Gambian adolescents: social cognitive influences and the effect of cigarette sampling 

Our study supports current efforts to prohibit tobacco advertising and promotions in The Gambia, especially the distribution of free samples. Additionally, we recommend prevention activities in schools and communities to aim at making children less vulnerable to 'sampling', increasing their self-efficacy expectations regarding emotional situations and making them aware of the influence of their best friend.

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Tobacco Use Worrisome for WHO 

The Gambian born Regional Director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has asserted that the use of tobacco has only helped to entrench what he called the vicious cycle of poverty in countries particularly in Africa, where the tendency has been addictive.

Dr. Ebrahima Malick Samba said on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day recently, that the negative effects and inherent risks to health resulting from tobacco are so evident that there is now a growing body of evidence of its contribution to the entrenchment of poverty.

According to him tobacco and poverty have been inextricably linked over the years and create a vicious cycle. "Once addicted, money and resources that could be used to purchase food, education and health care is diverted towards the purchase of tobacco products," he added. He stated that it is the poorest member of the society who tends to smoke the most and bear most of the economic burn and disease of tobacco usage.

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• PanAfrica: UK Firms Gives African Youths Tobacco - Report 

A BBC investigation has found that a British tobacco company is actively targeting young people and teenagers in Africa.

Cigarettes are being handed out free at youth events specially organised by tobacco firms during school holidays.

The companies insist they only give the samples to adult smokers, but there's evidence their own rules are not being followed.

The investigation is a further blow to an industry already dogged by accusations of dirty tricks and dubious marketing techniques, particularly in developing countries.

The company involved, British American Tobacco (BAT), has pledged to re-train its staff to stop the practice. . . .

The Gambia, a Muslim country, used to be one of the few places where cigarette advertising was banned.

After a military coup the ban was lifted three years ago and now tobacco sponsorship is everywhere.

The result has been a doubling of cigarette sales almost overnight. The World Health Organisation believes it has also led to an increase in smoking among children.

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Gambia: Govt. Supports Tobacco Convention 

The government of The Gambia is among the member states of World Health organisation (WHO) to finalize a groundbreaking treaty on the control of tobacco supply and consumption. The member states, which included 171 countries agreed on a final text for WHO global framework convention on tobacco control (FCTC) covering tobacco taxation, smoking prevention and treatment, illicit trade, sponsorship and promotion, advertisement and product regulation.

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Bat Seconds Tobacco Marketing Industries 

British American Tobacco ( BAT), world's second largest tobacco company, which operates in 180 countries, and controls about 15 percent of world tobacco market shares, is dedicated to satisfy the needs of its growing customers, and to top the whole tobacco industry. The company was founded in 1902 by a merger of American and British tobacco companies, resulting to a union in 1999 on a global level by two companies, namely The Rothman's International and British American Company. . .

It is established in The Gambia, and its presence date back in the 70s, comprising seven well-trained professionals. The British American Tobacco Gambia team is solely responsible for the supervision of the distribution network and for organizing brand promotional activities.

As part of galvanizing its image, the staff and management of the company on Thursday held a cocktail dinner at Fajara to promote the products.

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EDITORIAL: Caught up in the smoke of indiscretion? 

The Secretary of State for the Interior and Religious affairs has gone on record promising tougher days ahead for drug abusers in the country, and there are also explicit indications that whatever new measures may come into being could also tighten the noose on cigarette smokers who can summon enough affront to break the rules of the land.

This should read as very good news and anti-drug abuse campaigners may just start to rejoice. The only problem though is that we don't quite have very solid assurances that the new law, when eventually promulgated, would have enough teeth to bite its offenders deep enough to teach lasting lessons. If this counts as pessimism, it is well-founded. . .

African Governments must stop being slack about long-term strategising.

We, the people, are tired and sick of administrative indiscretion. We, the people, want very tough new laws against the tobacco industry and indisciplined public smokers. We, the people, demand our inalienable rights to safe public places.

We, the people, do not wish to be caught up in the shameful smoke of devastation.

And we, the people hope our government wouldn't get caught up in the smoke of iniquitous indiscretion!

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EDITORIAL: Gambia: A Sickening Habit! 

'No Smoking' signs in offices are not given a thought and workers can be seen sauntering all over the place, with glowing fags between their fingers as if it is the most normal thing to do. Football grounds are a non-smoker's hell. Just when you begin to enjoy the crunch clash, a putrefying smell engulfs your nostrils, making you want to throw up. Try to get the jerk to put it off and you get drenched in unprintable language! It is common knowledge that three in every five Gambians are chain smokers, which does not tell well on us. We need not emphasize that ours is one of the scantiest nations on earth and that our health sector is not solely backriding itself.

It is a glaring fact that government has not budgeted any amount, whatsoever, for a fund of some kind to treat people suffering from smoke-related diseases. This is not backstabbing because if we have a government that refuses to snarl at tobacco advertising, what can be expected of a National Assembly heavily APRC led? Come to think of it, the law passed by our lawmakers prohibiting smoking in public places is nothing but a laugh. Yes, a sick laugh! It is pathetic to see automobiles strewn in different tobacco brands cruising our streets, licensed to kill. The Gambia is a dumping ground for all kinds of cigarette brands. One even has the same name as that of a sister paper! We are not being pessimistic but the ultimate drive of Vision 2020 will eternally remain a vision. If we dream of a healthy and wealthy nation and yet have in place a government that is tobacco-warm, it would be a miracle if, in eighteen years time, we don't have a populace ridden with smoke related diseases.

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Tobacco Companies Under Fire 

Banjul -- Tobacco companies in The Gambia have come under serious criticism for luring youth into the habit of smoking by their incessant packages of sponsorship to youth groups with otherwise noble community objectives.

State policy towards tobacco advertisement was also vilified as solely responsible for encouraging a culture of smoking, which affects almost all age brackets.

The chairman of IOGT Ebrima Manneh said tobacco companies have caused tremendous health problems for the youth population a significant percentage of whom take to smoking at a very early age. Speaking at the World No Tobacco day in Brikama recently Mr. Manneh said unless youth groups totally renounce dealing with tobacco companies and decline otherwise attractive offers of sponsorship from them, the culture of smoking and its attendant health problems will continue to wreak havoc on young Gambians.

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'All Smokers Inhale 4,000 Chemicals' 

The Nova Scotia Gambia Association, which is vigorously engaged in peer health education programmes in over 70 schools, including senior and upper basic schools, and vocational schools across the country has made a disquieting assertion that tobacco smokers practically inhale 4, 000 chemicals in the course of smoking one cigarette.

Ambrose Obuekwe the association's administrative officer who visited The Independent offices along Radio Gambia Road Wednesday to present campaign -shirts, demonstrating the absurdity of smoking 'even for a hen' said acetone, mercury, lead, benzene, dimethylnitrosamine, cadminium, carbon monoxide, urethane, phenol, formaldehyde, DDT insecticide, are among thousands of poisonous chemicals inherent in cigarettes.

According to Obuekwe, his association is celebrating World Tobacco Day today 31st May, by organising public shows and sensitisation programmes in schools, radio stations and the television to create awareness on the effects and dangers of smoking tobacco.

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