Tobacco.org

Coalition to protest against FDB for refusing to implement pictorial health warnings on tobacco packs 

The Coalition of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Ghana on Tuesday hinted of a demonstration against the Food and Drugs Board (FDB) for its refusal to implement pictorial health warnings on tobacco packs to alert users on the implications associated with smoking.

“If a timeline for the implementation of the pictorial health warnings in Ghana is not announced by the end of the year, civil society would embark on a protest walk to the headquarters of the Food and Drugs Board, Office of the Minister of Health and Office of the Speaker of Parliament in January 2012.”

Mr Issah Ali, Executive Director of Vision for Alternative Development (VALD), a Tobacco Control NGO said in Accra that though support of the FDB was crucial to make pictorial images and information on tobacco packets, the FDB had refused to attend the series of meetings that it had organised.

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"Ghana must speed up legislation on Tobacco" - Patricia Lambert  

Ms Patricia Lambert, Director of International Legal Consortium for Campaign for Tobacco - Free Kids, has urged the Government of Ghana to consider the health of her people and speed up the tobacco control legislation.

"Government has the sovereign right and duty to protect the life of all citizens" she stated.

Ms Lambert was speaking at an international media capacity building workshop in Johannesburg on Saturday, to sharpen the media's efforts to respond to the growing threats of tobacco use in Africa.

The workshop is expected to equip the media to generate awareness of the increasing health burden in the various countries in Africa due to the damaging effects of tobacco products consumption.

The workshop was organized by Health-e, a media organization in South Africa, in collaboration with Campaign for Tobacco - Free Kids, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO).

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WHY A STRONG TOBACCO CONTROL MEASURES OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH BILL, 2011: Tobacco Kills, hasten the passage to protect lives  

Ghana has failed to meet its obligations on article 8, 13 and 5.2 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). February 27, 2010 was the deadline for Ghana to have implemented a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (Article 13) and ban smoking in public places (Article 8). Ghana is expected to have in place comprehensive tobacco control legislation five years after ratifying the FCTC (Article 5.2).

"I remember waking up once at midnight and shaking uncontrollably, picking all the remnants that was in the ashtray and trying to smoke them," she said. "That's when I realized I was a slave to tobacco. I couldn't believe what my sixteen years of smoking had reduced me to...." Lucy Achieng a 46-year-old mother of three testified after successfully quitting smoking. According to her, smoking is enslaving.

Five million smokers will die this year if current smoking patterns continue, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). . . .

Vision for Alternative Development and the Coalition on the Tobacco Control Bill humbly call on Parliament to enact a strong and formidable law (Tobacco Control Measures of the Public Health Bill, 2011) that will withstand the test of time.

Ghana needs to ensure that the public is protected, "IF IT MUST BE DONE, THEN IT MUST BE DONE WELL".

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Cigarette Concealed in Banku 

A 22-year-old ex-convict, Nashiru Amadu, who tried smuggling some prohibited substances into a police cell for a suspected criminal, has been nabbed.

The suspect, who claimed to be a welder, is alleged to have concealed a number of tusker king size cigarette sticks in a big ball of banku for one Razak Haruna, a robbery suspect in detention.

On reaching the charge office, personnel on duty took the items but upon serious scrutiny, they detected that some items had been stuffed in the food.

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Is President Mills Fit To Lead? | Feature Article 2011-09-09 

It is common knowledge that President Mills was a known chain smoker as well as an excessive use of alcohol in his days as a lecturer at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ghana, Legon.

It is recalled that in October 2006, a newspaper carried a story that Prof Mills was afflicted by a throat cancer, possibly Naso laryngeal which affects the nose like a sinus infection. That paper was forced by the Office of Prof Mills to retract and apologise because Prof Mills’ director of communications and now director of communications at the Presidency, Koku Anyidoho, stated that it was pure lies and a fabrication.

Ladies and gentlemen, what cases throat cancer? Smoking is the most important risk factor for throat cancer. Heavy consumption of alcohol, particularly alcoholic spirits, it is a major cause of that. Is it the excesses of the President’s years of abuse of alcohol and chain smoking of cigarette and marijuana that have caught up with him? This overwhelming evidence cannot be missed by Ghanaians as to which of our leaders have actually abused his body.

When combined, these two factors of long years of alcoholism and smoking have a synergistic effect.

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AGBENYIKEY: A letter to owners of restaurants, bars and nightclubs ... that allow smoking; economic impact of smoking bans. 

Hello Hardworking men & women,

It was a pleasure meeting over a hundred of you in the year 2007 when I was conducting my research on your workers’ exposure to pollution caused by secondhand tobacco smoke and your perception on smoking in public places. I also will forever be indebted to you for providing me momentary utopia anytime I visit your establishment on leisure. I must admit life without your establishment and employees would be less worthy.

As the calendar gradually moves towards the debate on the tobacco bill in parliament, the tobacco industry and their advocates as expected have started their usual clandestine activities trying to illegitimately convince you that studies have also been published purporting to prove that smoking bans in public places are bad for business. The fact of the matter is we can list numerous studies that prove that smoking bans have no effects on economic gains or losses. . . .

Firstly, most of the publishers of studies that find smoking ban hurt business are sponsored by the tobacco companies whose main interest is to maximize profit . . .

Lastly, I would take this opportunity to remind you about the clear linkage between smoking and secondhand tobacco smoke and the rising incidence of cancers, heart attacks and stroke among our population. The good news is, in other countries smoking bans have been able to reduce smoking related disease incidence significantly. We should also not forget that smoking imposes considerable direct and indirect cost on increase in healthcare cost, absenteeism, and higher employee turnover rate.

I would leave you with two quotes from former employees of the tobacco industry. “When CTR (Council for Tobacco Research) researchers found that cigarettes were bad and it was better not to smoke, we didn’t publicize that”

- Dorothea Cohen, former employee for Council for Tobacco Research (CTR) employee in the Wall Street Journal, 02/11/1993.

“Younger adult smokers are the only source of replacement smokers...If younger adults turn away from smoking, the industry must decline”.

- R.J. Reynolds, 02/29/1984.

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AGBENYIKEY: Economic impact of smoking bans 

Hello Hardworking men & women,

It was a pleasure meeting over a hundred of you in the year 2007 when I was conducting my research on your workers' exposure to pollution caused by secondhand tobacco smoke and your perception on smoking in public places. I also will forever be indebted to you for providing me momentary utopia anytime I visit your establishment on leisure. I must admit life without your establishment and employees would be less worthy.

As the calendar gradually moves towards the debate on the tobacco bill in Parliament, the tobacco industry and their advocates as expected have started their usual clandestine activities trying to illegitimately convince you that studies have also been published purporting to prove that smoking bans in public places are bad for business. The fact of the matter is we can list numerous studies that prove that smoking bans have no effects on economic gains or losses. We can also find numerous studies that prove that smoking is good for business and studies that prove otherwise. . . .

most of the publishers of studies that find smoking ban hurting business are sponsored by the tobacco companies whose main interest is to maximize profit through tobacco sales whiles most of the studies that prove otherwise are sponsored by non-profit public health promotion organizations whose main interest is to prevent diseases and promote health. . . .

Fourthly, most of the members of your association support a proposed ban of smoke in public places, I am therefore appealing to you to make a public statement on your position on this matter. After all it is only patriotic to join in national debates.

Lastly, I would take this opportunity to remind you about the clear linkage between smoking and secondhand tobacco smoke and the rising incidence of cancers, heart attacks and stroke among our population.

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• “Ghana must speed up legislation on tobacco”- Patricia Lambert 

Ms Patricia Lambert, Director of International Legal Consortium for Campaign for Tobacco - Free Kids, has urged the Government of Ghana to consider the health of her people and speed up the tobacco control legislation.

"Government has the sovereign right and duty to protect the life of all citizens" she stated.

Ms Lambert was speaking at an international media capacity building workshop in Johannesburg on Saturday, to sharpen the media's efforts to respond to the growing threats of tobacco use in Africa.

The workshop is expected to equip the media to generate awareness of the increasing health burden in the various countries in Africa due to the damaging effects of tobacco products consumption.

The workshop was organized by Health-e, a media organization in South Africa, in collaboration with Campaign for Tobacco - Free Kids, a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO).

Journalist will also be given the modus operandi of the tobacco industry as it increasingly focuses on Africa as a lucrative market, as well as the myths peddled around tobacco farming.

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NGO urges parliamentarians to support tobacco control measures 

Mr Issah Ali, National Coordinator of Coalition on Tobacco Control Bill, a non-governmental organization (NGO), has called on Parliamentarians from tobacco growing areas to support the tobacco control measures under the Public Health Bill before Parliament.

He said by so doing, they would be seeking the interest of the health of their constituents, particularly tobacco farmers, babies, children, youth, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups.

Mr Ali, who is also the Executive Director of Vision for Alternative Development (VALD), gave the advice at a public forum on Pictorial Health Warnings on Tobacco Packs at GNAT Hall in Accra on Tuesday.

The forum was to share information and facts on the importance and relevance of mandating the printing of rotational pictorial health warnings on tobacco packs as part of the Tobacco Control Measures of the Public Health Bill 2011.

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AGBENYIKEY: Why Ghana needs a smoke-free law; simple facts!!!  

1. Tobacco smoke contains at least 67 known human or animal carcinogens [Repace, 2006]. This is true whether tobacco smoke is inhaled in the act of smoking, or exposed to nonsmokers indoors or outdoors. Meaning: Inhaling tobacco smoke can cause cancer even when inhaled outdoor. . . .

10. Conclusion: Defiant smokers, the tobacco industry and their shameless campaigners argue that

a. What about the right of the smoker?

b. What about the bad engine emissions from rickety vehicles?

c. Why not concentrate on serious and acute health problems?

d. Smoke-free law will kill entertainment business, etc

These arguments are lame! Could someone remind them that smoking is a privilege that cannot supersede the nonsmokers’ right to a cancer free air?

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• AUDIO: IMANI Ghana: Bill to regulate tobacco use too prohibitive  

The Executive Director of policy think tank IMANI Ghana says a new bill to regulate tobacco use is too prohibitive.

Franklin Cudjoe says measures prescribed in the bill amount to an abuse of the rights of smokers.

The Public Health Bill currently before parliament bans smoking in public and even in homes.

It also has strict guidelines on labeling and Mr. Cudjoe believes this is unfair because Ghana has a small smoking population and an expensive tax regime on tobacco.

He told Joy News the Bill "bans people from smoking in open air spaces and in their homes and surroundings where other people's exposure to secondhand smoke may be negligible," which believes "is unfair and is an encroachment on people's rights."

"You don't want to say that tobacco smoking is illegal. If that is what you want to say, find a better way of saying it," he added.

Mr Cudjoe accused campaigners for the legislation of hypocrisy, saying they received $150,000 from the Bloomberg Initiative "and that the Bloomberg Initiative gives money to groups to just clamp down on businesses."

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• Ghana Parliament Discusses Tobacco Bill 

Finally, the long awaited tobacco bill sailed through the 1st reading on the floor of parliament in Ghana today. The bill was however sent to the Health Select Committee for final amendments. It is tipped to pass into law when Ghana parliament reconvenes on October 25th 2011.

Provisions of the tobacco bill include a total ban on smoking in indoor and outdoor public places, total ban on tobacco advertisements, promotion and sponsorships. Also included are the prohibition of people under 21yrs to purchase or sell tobacco products, and the provisions of pictorial warnings covering a minimum of 70% of wraps and packs of tobacco products.

Smokefreeghana.com would take this opportunity to beseech all advocates, the media and the general public to increase their advocacy and redirect their campaign for this noble course to the parliamentarians. Our parliamentarians are on recess now and it is critical that we ask them to fully support this tobacco bill.

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Tobacco Control Bill Finally In Parliament  

After about seven years of intense lobbying and agitation for tobacco control legislation for Ghana, minister for Health, Joseph Yeileh Chireh, has finally presented the draft legislation on the Tobacco Control Bill for the consideration of Parliament.

The Bill which forms part of the enlarged Public Health Bill (PHB) went through first reading on the floor of Parliament last Friday, July 22, 2011 with the Speaker of the House, Justice Joyce Bamford-Addo referring it to the select committee on Health for consideration recommendation.

Parliament adjourned last Friday and is expected to reconvene in late October 2011. Chairman of the Committee, Alhaji Muntaka Mohammed, told journalists in Parliament last week the presentation of the bill was long expected and that now that it has come they will treat it with the urgency it deserves.

Following this revelation it is expected that the Public Health Bill will go through the necessary stages and passed in the next meeting beginning in October. . . .

When finally passed the law will among others ban Smoking in public places, ban tobacco advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship, Prohibit young people under the age of 21

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• Support for smoke-free policy, and awareness of tobacco health effects and use of smoking cessation therapy in a developing country 

Background

Preventing an epidemic increase in smoking prevalence is a major challenge for developing countries. Ghana, has maintained a low smoking prevalence despite the presence of cigarette manufacturing for many decades. Some of this success may have been contributed by cultural factors and attitudes. We have studied public awareness of health risks, attitudes to smoke-free policy, tobacco advertising/promotion and other factors in a Ghanaian population sample. . . .

Conclusion

Awareness of health risks and support for smoke-free policy are high in Ghana. Exposure to tobacco advertising or promotion is limited and most smokers have tried to quit. Whether these findings are cause or effect of current low smoking prevalence is uncertain.

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• Ghana: VALD Appeals to AMA to Ban Public Smoking in the Metropolis 

Vision for Alternative Development (VALD), a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) has appealed to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) for the passage of the tobacco bye laws within the metropolis to safeguard the people in the metropolis in the interim whilst the country awaits the smooth passage of the national bill into law.

According to VALD, in an engagement meeting with some AMA officials last Wednesday, the bye-laws, when adopted and implemented would drastically reduce the use of tobacco and its related ailments.

When these bye-laws are passed, with the support of the Local Government, District Assembly members, Chiefs and opinion leaders, it will ensure that violators of the laws are fined and punished, said officials of VALD.

Briefing the media on the presentation of the need for tobacco control bye-laws at the district level, Mr. Labram Musah said that tobacco control bye laws should be focused on the Ban on minors, from buying and selling tobacco products.

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