Tobacco.org

• New tobacco legislation catches on 

The legislation that seeks to force tobacco companies to sell cigarettes in plain packaging is slowly catching on with Britain considering implementing the law, following in Australia's footsteps.

This is the same legislation that had the world's biggest and Namibian market leader in tobacco products, British American Tobacco (BAT), threatening Namibian lawmakers with a legal challenge if they promulgated such amendments into Namibian law.

Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Richard Kamwi, wants to add restrictions to a part of the section in the Tobacco Products Control Act No. 1 of 2010. Once in force, the Act would black out marketing and promotion of tobacco products in the country and restrict tobacco vending machines to controlled areas with an 18-year age limit.

The amendments were gazetted in November last year with subsequent public discussions. The Act also prohibits sponsorship of any Namibian event, however charitable, by tobacco companies or distributors of tobacco products.

BAT threatened to take lawmakers to court unless changes were made, saying the proposed restrictions would allow government to expropriate its trademark properties while robbing the company of freely communicating to consumers the nature of the lawful products on offer.

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Customs seize cigarette contraband 

WALVIS BAY - Investigations into a container falsely declared as having washing powder, but laden with smuggled cigarettes worth millions of dollars, in what appears to have been a well-coordinated effort to evade paying customs duty, have started.

Investigating authorities confided to New Era that they are making good progress with their investigations - but were cautioning that it would take time before they can charge the owner of the suspected contraband.

To this end, says a customs officer at the Walvis Bay customs office, their immediate focus is on tracing the owner/importer of the goods - and customs are working with the clearing agent of the consignment in an effort to trace the culprit

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Smoking, A Deadly Habit 

Almost everyone who smokes has uttered these words if not a few times, then at least once - "I would like to stop but I just can't, it is just so difficult and I have tried so many times but I just can't."

Others in denial have even gone as far as saying "Well, I am not addicted, I can stop any time I want," reports Namibian Press Agency (Nampa).

The fact is that they are lying to themselves. . . .

So even if you can't give up for yourself, hard as it may be, how about doing it for those around you, especially your children.

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• Smoking control measures toughened  

Words such as “mild” or “light” will never appear on cigarette boxes or any other tobacco products sold in Namibia if restrictions in the Tobacco Products Control Act of 2010 go into force unchanged.

This comes as the Ministry of Health and Social Services says it noted an increase in the number of young smokers, most of them women.

Figures provided by the ministry in mid-2010 singled out the Hardap Region where more women smoke than the average percentage globally.

The ministry is scared that the number of young smokers could increase as tobacco companies capitalise on marketing opportunities that become available to entice new smokers. Dr Richard Kamwi, the Minister of Health and Social Services, seeks to add restrictions to a part of the section in the Act. These were gazetted last week and interested members of the public have 30 days to make submissions to the ministry.

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Tobacco firm threatens lawsuit  

Namibia's biggest seller of tobacco, British American Tobacco (BAT), is threatening Namibian lawmakers with litigation unless changes are made to the new Tobacco Products Control Act of 2010, which appeared in the Government Gazette this week.

So furious is BAT that it says the Act proposed by Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Richard Kamwi, has a constitutional impact on "Rights to Property" and "Rights to Freedom of Expression," as provided in the Namibian constitution.

The Gazette gives 30 days for the public to make submissions on the draft regulations before the Act goes into operation.

The fight is particularly over mandatory packaging methods that would include graphic pictures depicting ill-health associated with smoking.

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• Tobacco firm threatens lawsuit 

Namibia's biggest seller of tobacco, British American Tobacco (BAT), is threatening Namibian lawmakers with litigation unless changes are made to the new Tobacco Products Control Act of 2010, which appeared in the Government Gazette this week.

So furious is BAT that it says the Act proposed by Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Richard Kamwi, has a constitutional impact on "Rights to Property" and "Rights to Freedom of Expression," as provided in the Namibian constitution.

The Gazette gives 30 days for the public to make submissions on the draft regulations before the Act goes into operation.

The fight is particularly over mandatory packaging methods that would include graphic pictures depicting ill-health associated with smoking.

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CAN campaigns against smoking 

The Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN), Medscheme and Namibia Health Plan will run a campaign to decrease the health problems that smoking causes for people.

The "Stop Smoking Today" cooperation starts tomorrow on World No Tobacco Day. The aim of the campaign is to remind people of all the ill-effects that tobacco has. Reinette Koegelenberg, the chief executive officer of the Cancer Association of Namibia, is especially worried about second-hand smoking.

"If you smoke, please do it outside. Otherwise children and non-smokers get exposed to all the ill effects of tobacco. We all know this, it has been published many, many times before, but it still happens. If one person in the café is smoking, it affects every customer's health. This is the problem we want to abolish," Koegelenberg says.

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FOTOLELA: Tackling smoking among students  

I would like to address this issue not to the government institutions only but also to the educational institutions of all levels and other role players in society. My concern is to address all tobacco products users.

In my previous statement in New Era dated 15 July 2011, I clearly distinguished that there are many smokers in society. Let us advise our family and friends to practise the safest way of smoking in order to prevent and protect innocent people from becoming passive smokers. . . .

Thank you to the University of Namibia which undertook a pilot study in 2002. UNAM, with the support of the World Health Organisation (WHO) financially made a sample study of 10 per cent to interview UNAM full-time students at the Main Campus in Windhoek in the Faculties of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences and Polytechnic students 5 percent respectively. The topic of the study was: "Tobacco Smoking Among UNAM Students: Behaviours, Reasons, Attitudes, Awareness and Knowledge of Associated Health Risks".

The reason behind the study was to establish programmes for educating students about the danger of tobacco use and to impart skills necessary to avoid tobacco smoking. The problem sought by this study showed that university students started tobacco smoking at the secondary level of education while at the same time, though they use tobacco products, they are aware of the health risks they are exposed to and which they expose passive smokers to. Even at their age, they find it difficult to stop smoking, just imagine!!

I believe that there must be numerous studies conducted on tobacco use . . .

I have picked some addresses for specialists in quitting smoking for your convenience:

Bianca Te Water Therapist IQs Namibia Tel: +264 85 544 3322 www.iqsnamibia.com

67 Tunschel St, Pioneerspark, Windhoek (same street as Wanderers + Ramblers Sport Clubs.)

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• Taking tobacco trouble to task 

In most of the villages in the country, it is a common sight to see menfolk — and even children — chewing tobacco, a habit that becomes addiction and the cause of oral cancer. However, there are some villages in Belgaum district in Karnataka where the villagers have ‘banned’ tobacco. Fine is slapped on shops that are found selling gutkha.

Also, those who were earlier addicted to chewing tobacco are now themselves supporting the campaign against it. The campaign involves everyone in the villages: farmers, women, school children and panchayat leaders.

When Express visited some of these villages, it came to light that although the villagers are against tobacco and liquor, some business interests are trying to make sure that the business survives and thrives there.

Also, even though most of the rural populace is against these addictions, the sale of such products continues in a covert way.

How it started 13 years ago

Kalloli village in Gokak taluk took offence to gutkha 13 years ago. The local leaders of Bajrang Dal started the campaign against gutkha and appealed to all the vendors of pan shops and provision stores to stop selling it. . . .

Soon the news of Kalloli’s anti-gutkha campaign reached a neighbouring village Rajapur.

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Need to strength anti-tobacco policies 

Windhoek - Tobacco use is the second highest cause of deaths globally (after hypertension) and is currently responsible for killing one in 10 adults worldwide.

It is for that reason that among other bodies and institutions, on May 31 of each year the World Health Organization celebrates World No Tobacco Day to highlight the health risks associated with tobacco use.

The day is also used to advocate for effective policies to reduce consumption of tobacco and its related products. . . .

Countries in the African region are experiencing an increasing rate of tobacco use.

The prevalence of tobacco use in African countries is between eight to 43 percent among males and five to 30 percent among females.

The fast growth of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa is leading to larger and more accessible markets and an increasing of the African consumers' purchasing power.

In addition to that there are the intensive efforts by the tobacco industry to expand African markets.

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Enforcement of Tobacco Act Coming 

Existing agencies and institutions such as local municipalities and the police, enforcement officers and civil society will all play a vital role at every stage of the implementation and enforcement of smoke-free air laws, says Deputy Health Minister, Petrina Haingura.

Speaking at a training workshop on the enforcement of the Tobacco Products Control Act, Haingura said that according to the 2008 Namibia Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 31 per cent of students currently use tobacco products. According to the Deputy Health Minister, this evidence makes a compelling case for the implementation of the Tobacco Act.

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Enforcement of Tobacco Act coming  

EXISTING agencies and institutions such as local municipalities and the police, enforcement officers and civil society will all play a vital role at every stage of the implementation and enforcement of smoke-free air laws, says Deputy Health Minister, Petrina Haingura.

Speaking at a training workshop on the enforcement of the Tobacco Products Control Act, Haingura said that according to the 2008 Namibia Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 31 per cent of students currently use tobacco products. According to the Deputy Health Minister, this evidence makes a compelling case for the implementation of the Tobacco Act.

The training workshop which started last Tuesday and ended two days later, aimed to provide the participants with knowledge on the Act and to train them on the enforcement tools which include inspections, penalties, litigation and reporting obligations. Also present was Dr Magda Rubalo, World Health Organisation (WHO) Country Representative for Namibia, who said that legislation such as the Tobacco Act is based on the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

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• NGO calls for tough action on tobacco control  

Concrete action on tobacco control at State level is far too rare on the Chinese mainland, according to a report released by a non-governmental organization on Tuesday.

Based on the current situation, China, which is home to the world's largest smoking population, could hardly live up to the promises it made when it signed the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) initiated by the World Health Organization (WHO), said the report, Tobacco Control 2010 in China - A Civil Society Perspective.

This is the second time the anti-smoking advocacy group Thinktank has released such a report.

Each year, 5.4 million people die of smoking-related diseases worldwide, one fifth of whom are in China. The country now has 350 million smokers on the mainland, including 180 million teenagers, WHO statistics showed.

Without effective intervention, another 100 million Chinese will die from smoking-related illness by 2050, half of them aged between 30 and 60, experts estimated.

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ITC to resume production after govt notification 

Tobacco-to-cookies conglomerate ITC today made it clear that it would resume production of cigarettes only after it received the government's notification on pictorial warnings.

The statement came in response to the government's recent campaign to deter tobacco consumers by issuing notices to tobacco companies for clear depictions of the disastrous effects of tobacco consumption.

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• Govt to implement anti-smoking laws  

WINDHOEK - The Ministry of Health and Social Services has reiterated Government's commitment to protecting the health of the nation by fully implementing the Tobacco Products Act 1 of 2010.

"It is clear that the use of tobacco kills and incapacitates many people in the most productive years of their lives," said Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr Richard Kamwi.

Kamwi further said that his ministry is ready to collaborate with all stakeholders in ensuring that provisions in the Tobacco Products Control Act (Act 1 of 2010) are implemented successfully.

He said with the support of a WHO expert, Dr Ezra Ouma, a plan has been clearly laid out with indicative milestones on how to implement the Act, together with the relevant stakeholders.

"This Act is an important tobacco control tool and milestone in itself in the promotion of public health," said Kamwi. . . .

"The WHO expert will be back in Namibia by mid-September to continue providing the required support to ensure that all our targets are on track," the minister said. In addition, Kamwi said that by October 2010, the following sections would come into force immediately.

Section 15 - banning advertising, promotion and sponsorship; Section 18 - banning sales to and by minors; Section 19 - banning free distribution and rewards related to tobacco products; Section 20 - banning the use of vending machines to sell tobacco products.

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