Tobacco.org

• Smoking to be banned in public places  

The Ministry of Health will, by next month, announce a ban on smoking in public places.

That is the first step in the ministry's bid to protect non-smokers, including children, from the deadly effects of tobacco. Passive smoking or the inhaling of second-hand smoke has been proved to be as dangerous as smoking itself, since it also causes serious illnesses such as heart and lung diseases, as well as cancers.

In a speech read on his behalf at a stakeholders sensitisation workshop on the ban on smoking in public and workplaces held in Accra, a Deputy Minister of Health, Mr. Abraham Dwoma Odoom, said in spite of the challenges that the ministry was likely to face, it had to embark on the ban to protect non-smokers from tobacco-related diseases and possible death.

The day's workshop was organised by the Coalition of Non-governmental Organisations for Tobacco Control (CNTC) to highlight the public health implication of secondhand smoking, as well as secure the commitment of participants to support the ban and help implement it, especially at their individual places.

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