Thursday, June 11, 2009

‘We’ll Demonstrate If…’

‘We’ll Demonstrate If…’
Daily Guide
29th June 2009
By Nathaniel Y. Yankson

THE EXECUTIVE Director of Vision for Alternative Development [VALD], Ghana, Issah Ali has stated that the group would embark on a massive protest should the government and legislature delay in enacting the country’s Tobacco Control Bill into the law.

When passed, it would ban smoking in public places in accordance with Article 8 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control [FCTC]. It would as well prohibit the sale of tobacco products in health and educational institutions, theatres, stadiums and other social environments.

Addressing the media in Accra on Thursday, Mr. Ali indicated that since no minister, Member of Parliament or any influential person in society would allow their relatives to risks their lives via tobacco smoking, it is prudent also on their part to secure the lives of others by lobbying for the passage of the bill.
He said though the draft bill has been ready since 2005, no one or group of persons has urged to pushed it for the consideration of parliament, hence his outfit and other civil society group’s struggle to make it happen.
According to him, they attempted similar action in 2003 when Ghana took a snail’s pace to ratify the FCTC, a treaty which was negotiated under the auspices of the World Health Organization [WHO] and unanimously approved by the Member of States of the World Health Assembly [WHA].
Ghana signed the Convention in 2003 and became the 39th country to have ratified it in 2004.
As enshrined in Article 3, the Convention aims to “protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke by providing a framework for tobacco control measures to be implemented by parties at the national, regional and international levels in order to reduce continually and substantially the prevalence of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke.
Ghana, however, he continued is obligated under Article 4 of the health consequences, addictive nature and mortal threat posed by tobacco consumption.

In addition, laws on a person’s exposure to tobacco smoke should be contemplated at the appropriate governmental levels in order to protect all persons from the dangers involved.
Besides killing its users, tobacco consumption causes heart and lung diseases as well as cancers. “Tobacco kills close to five million people annually and it is projected to kill over 10million smokers and passive smokers by 2030. Seventy per cent of death will emerge in developing countries including Ghana, if effective tobacco control measures are not initiated and enforced effectively”, he disclosed.
Meanwhile VALD recommended that government increase the tax on tobacco products from it current status to 100 percent as stipulated in Article 6 of the treaty.

It called on the Associated of Ghana Industries (AGI) to also expel the British America Tobacco Ghana from its membership since it is promoting death, destruction and disability among the people of the country.
“A national tobacco council, comprising relevant government agencies and civil society groups must be established to advise the Health Minister and other relevant agencies in the enforcement of Tobacco Control Act”, the organization added.

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