Tobacco.org

EDITORIAL: Tighten laws on tobacco and public smoking 

It is a pity that when many developed countries have tightened laws to make smoking unacceptable or illegal in public places, in developing countries it is the reverse.

In the last 40 years, according to the ACS, smoking rates have fallen in rich countries like the United States, Britain and Japan but have been rising in most of the developing world. Statistics show that smoking will kill six million people worldwide as early as 2010 and 72% of those will be from low and middle-income countries. Uganda is a poor country whose health sector is grossly inadequate. . . .

According to the Uganda Heart Institute, respiratory diseases and lung cancer will be Uganda's leading killer by 2020.

Lung cancer is closely associated with smoking and is on the increase because anti-smoking laws are very weak or non-existent in poor countries. In 2004, the then environment minister Kahinda Otafiire imposed a smoking ban in all public places. However, since the public places were not gazetted, its enforcement became problematic. Clearly, there is need to discourage smoking.

The starting point is to help tobacco growers switch to alternative crops. The law on public smoking must be vigorously enforced and non-smoking areas clearly demarcated. Cigarettes should be sold in packets and not as individual sticks to make its cost prohibitive.

Churches, mosques and schools should play a role in sensitising people about the danger of smoking. With concerted effort, the deadly menace of smoking can be tackled.

Jump to full article »

Stop Growing Tobacco - Banyoro Told  

THE information minister, Kabakumba Masiko, has told the people of Bunyoro to stop growing tobacco, saying it was no longer a profitable venture.

She said some people had grown tobacco for several years in her Bujenje constituency in Masindi district but they had remained poor.

Her remarks came at the time when over 5,000 tobacco farmers in Hoima district were protesting the delay by a local firm, Continental Tobacco, to pay them over sh3b.

Kabakumba was opening a three-day agricultural exhibition organised by Hoima Caritas Development Organisation, an arm of Hoima Catholic Diocese, at Boma grounds in Hoima town on Thursday. . . .

The minister explained that tobacco growing can only be carried out by farmers with large chunks of land and urged those with little land to embark on mixed enterprises, which is being supported by the Government.

"The growing of such crops is no longer possible because they need a lot of land, which we don't have," Kabakumba said.

Jump to full article »

• Scribe Jailed 10 Months 

The Arua-based Red Pepper reporter was on Thursday sentenced to a 10-month imprisonment for receiving a bribe.

Ronald Afeku pleaded guilty of taking sh1m from the British American Tobacco Uganda (BATU) manager for not running a story against the company last Thursday.

"You have acted against the ethics of journalism, a noble profession that informs, educates the masses. "You are sentenced to ten months imprisonment," the Arua Grade II magistrate, Marchelo Alioniin, read the judgement before a fully packed courtroom with the convict's relatives and journalists.

Alioniin urged journalists to clear their image from criminal acts if they wanted to get public confidence. . . .

On August 6, Afeku was arrested by plain clothed policemen from BATU offices after receiving a bribe to kill a story on a motor accident involving the tobacco firm, which claimed over 10 people and left many others injured.

The court heard that Afeku had asked for sh2m and the balance would be paid later after handing over the story to the manager

Jump to full article »

• OGUZU: Tobacco farming killing food production in West Nile 

During the recent Jinja Agricultural Trade Show, I went to the World Food Programme (WFP) stall to find out if our small farmer groups in West Nile can benefit from P4P initiative supported by Bill Gates and Melinda, unaware of the fact that the region is not a beneficiary because of her inability to produce, even feed her own people.

While Food and Agriculture Organisation’s latest estimates put the number of chronically hungry people at 1.02b, up from 915m in 2008, Uganda’s West Nile region isn’t exempt from these global figures save for reasons that force people to go hungry. In an earlier article, I stressed the need for tobacco firms to be socially responsible, well aware of colossal cost we could one day pay for sticking to this cash crop.

Tobacco growing has partly contributed to the famine in West Nile. First and fore most, tobacco growing has led to destruction of forests and fruit trees to the point that the region now faces drought, reduced honey production and general environmental degradation-- a typical example of collapse Jared Diamond talked about in his book ‘Collapse: how Societies choose to Succeed and Fail’ in which he referred to Haitain society that ended up in cannibalism after destroying the vegetation on which their survival depended.

Because tobacco production also requires dedicating labour, land and other resources at the expense of growing subsistence crops, the potential for hunger and starvation is imminent.

Jump to full article »

• Farmers resist drive to stop tobacco growing 

As the harvesting season begins, West Nile farmers have positioned themselves to reap big from a cash crop that has come under severe criticism from political and civil leaders in the district.

Some farmers in Arua and Maracha-Terego districts rejected calls from local leaders to stop growing tobacco because the latter believes the crop is a major cause of poverty, particularly during periods of famine.

The BATU Manager in Arua, Mr Peter Mukisa told Business Power, last week, that the local incomes this season have been boosted by the high quality tobacco farmers are harvesting. Tobacco is the main cash crop in Arua and Maracha-Terego districts. Mr Mukisa said he was not sure of the tonnes the company expects to get since the season has just started but he said; “we want to ensure that farmers get high quality seeds to earn more income”. For instance, a high quality grade of tobacco is bought at Shs4,150 while the lowest grade fetches Shs1,500.

Jump to full article »

• MARLONE: How Tobacco Firms Woo Smokers  

The tobacco industry has cleverly gone beyond a merely defensive cam-Marlboro Man: From the Wild campaign to one which is positive and West to the Far East pro-cigarettes.

Other industry tactics include creating doubt without actually denying medical evidence linking smoking and cancer, philanthropy to buy friends and social respectability, and using trade agreements, bribery and lobbying to force entry into closed markets.

The tobacco industry has also used its slick promotional skills to perfect a "customised" approach to marketing products and brands by identifying and "hunting" segments of population, including the women, teens and children of the developing world.

Unfortunately, many developing countries provide a conducive atmosphere for tobacco companies to test their latest insidious tactics to get around strict legislation in developed countries. . . .

In Uganda, while still waiting for the National Environment Management Authority and the Police to enforce the Control of Smoking in Public Places legislation enacted in 2004, the vulnerable tobacco consumer needs to have an overview of the tobacco industry tactics and their corresponding goals -

- Intelligence Gathering - Monitor opponents and social trends to anticipate future challenges

- Public Relations - Mold public opinion using the media to promote pro-industry positions

- Political Funding - Use donations to win votes and legislative favours from politicians

- Lobbying - Cut deals and influence political process

- Consultancy Programmes - Produce "independent" experts critical of tobacco control measures

- Smokers' Rights Groups - Create impressions of spontaneous, grassroots public support

Jump to full article »

Increase taxes on cigarettes - minister 

The finance ministry has been asked to increase taxes on cigarettes in the next financial year. Health state minister Dr. Richard Nduhuura said increasing taxes on tobacco was the most effective way to control smoking.

Nduhuura was speaking at the opening of a workshop on smoking at the Grand Imperial Hotel in Kampala recently.

He said high taxes would reduce the number of smokers and deaths that accrue because of smoking. Tobacco is among the leading sources of revenue for the Government. In the 2005/2006 financial year, the Government increased taxes on cigarette from sh19,000 ($10.63) to sh21,000 ($11.75) per mille ( 1,000 cigarettes).

Jump to full article »

Babies most affected by cigarette smoke 

BESIDES smoking being the leading cause of lung cancer, a recent research indicated that cigarette smoking is the leading cause of penile cancer in Uganda.

According to a report from the surgeon general at the US Department of Health and Human Services, children are most affected by second-hand smoke.

Second-hand smoke contains more than 250 chemicals known to be toxic or cancer-causing. . . .

It should be noted that on average, children are exposed to more second-hand smoke than non-smoking adults. Doctors have noted that even brief exposure to cigarette smoke can be harmful.

The next time you light a cigarette in a public place, be aware that you are not only endangering your life, but also the lives of thousands of innocent people.

Jump to full article »

• Tobacco - Despite the Risks, Smoking Thrives  

YESTERDAY, Uganda joined the rest of the world to mark the World No Tobacco Day. Anti-cigarette activists are vowing to step up the campaign to compel the Government to tighten its grip on smokers who do not care about other people's health.

According to the Uganda Heart Institute, tobacco is the leading cause of preventable cancer deaths in the world, accounting for over 5.2 million deaths annually.

It is projected that the death toll of tobacco-related diseases will rise to 10 million per year, with 70% occurring in developing countries.

Owing to such health risks, in 2004 the Government passed a law barring smoking in public places.

It is considered a violation of non-smokers' rights to life and to a clean and healthy environment.

The then water, lands and environment minister, Kahinda Otafiire, ordered the ban to take immediate effect. . . .

However, despite the heath risks it poses, smoking has continued to thrive even in public places, in total disregard of the law.

And the bodies that should have implemented the legislation have not intervened much.

As a result, mob justice has increased due to increased smoking in public places, as non-smokers struggle to guard themselves from the effects of passive smoking. . . .

Karugaba blames the environmental watchdog, National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) for failing to crack down on smokers.

The Police in Tororo last year arrested one Julius Opondo over allegedly killing a colleague, Desiderio Okecho, by twisting his neck for lighting a cigarette in Wawulere Market.

Jump to full article »

Uganda struggles to reduce use of tobacco 

Uganda will join the rest of the world to commemorate the No-Tobacco Day tomorrow, with health experts warning that the cancer infection among smokers is on an alarming increase.

This year’s theme, “Tobacco Health Warnings,” is aimed at encouraging the use of graphic picture warnings that have been shown to be effective at making people aware of the health risks of tobacco use and convincing them to quit smoking.

It is now five years since Uganda signed the International Convention on Tobacco Control, calling for stronger measures to reduce tobacco use. With its response to the treaty, firm commitment is being shown to tackle the public health challenges posed by tobacco. The treaty outlines the measures that countries need to take to achieve its objectives.

Jump to full article »

BATU Nears 1,000 Trading Days  

BRITISH American Tobacco (BATU) is just six trading days away from hitting its 1,000 trading session. BATU, which has gone through almost all the business cycles and persisted, hit its 994th session on Tuesday.

The tobacco company made loses, the share price went below the initial public offer price and changed management but it is still trading on the bourse.

Jump to full article »

• Control tobacco growing, says minister 

THE agriculture state minister, Aggrey Bagiire, has directed authorities in West Nile districts to enact bylaws to regulate the cultivation of tobacco to save the region from environmental degradation.

The directive follows a recent meeting the minister held with Koboko district leaders in Koboko town. Bagiire, who had travelled by road, expressed shock at the lack of forest cover in the area.

"These farmers have been here for over 40 years but what you see from Arua to Koboko is bad." "Other than the small trading centres, there are countable iron sheet-roofed houses," Bagiire said.

He said with the bylaw, tobacco farmers would also be required to grow food.

Jump to full article »

URA burns smuggled cigarettes worth Shs530m 

Uganda Revenue Authority on Friday burnt at least 1,300 cartons of smuggled Supermatch cigarettes in Jinja. The cigarettes worth over Shs530 million were intercepted between March last year and March this year by custom enforcement squads belonging to the revenue implementation body.

According to URA’s assistant commissioner for public and corporate affairs Sarah Birungi Bagane, the biggest batch of the consignment was intercepted in Northern Uganda in the areas of Bibia and Oraba on the Sudan border while others were from Eastern Uganda’s Malaba, Busia and Iganga towns.

URA’s assistant commissioner for customs enforcement Enoch Walugembe said, “The smugglers have shifted from Malaba and Busia to northern Uganda after realising we had put stringent measures to intercept contraband goods.” He explained that the cigarettes, whose excise duty, according to the Ugandan tax structure is 120 per cent as compared to only 10 per cent in South Sudan, had contravened both the Excise and Customs Acts. He said they had impounded 18 vehicles smuggling contrabands into the country.

Jump to full article »

• EDITORIAL: Enact Law On Tobacco As Soon As Possible 

LUNG cancer in Uganda has increased ten-fold, according to the latest report from the Uganda Cancer Institute, Mulago. There are now 30 to 40 patients admitted at the institute annually. . . .

It is a whiff of fresh air that the Government is preparing a tougher law to control tobacco use. No stone must be left unturned and the Tobacco Bill 2009 must be tabled as soon as possible and translated into law as a matter of urgency to save smokers and non-smokers alike from the scourge of a self-imposed and reckless lifestyle which devastates both our health and economy.

The profits from the tobacco industry make no sense if they have to be ploughed back to treat tobacco-related diseases!

Jump to full article »

• Tough Anti-Tobacco Law in Offing 

THE Government is preparing a tougher law to control tobacco use.

The law, which is to be tabled in Parliament, requires dealers in tobacco products to have licences.

It will also halt all advertising of tobacco in the media, and its sale in small quantities.

The regulation will also stop the sale and smoking of tobacco in public places.

Jump to full article »