TT signs global pact to ban smoking

THE WORLD Health Organisation’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which seeks to ban smoking in public along with other anti-smoking measures, comes into effect today. This international legal instrument, which has been ratified by 57 countries, including Trinidad and Tobago, sets out a programme to reduce the number of people smoking across the world. Governments have promised to introduce smoking bans, restrict tobacco advertising, put health warnings on cigarette packs and increase tax on tobacco sales.

Last August, Foreign Affairs Minister Knowlson Gift and Health Minister John Rahael signed the WHO tobacco control agreement, making Trinidad and Tobago the first Caribbean country to sign onto the global pact. At that signing ceremony Gift had stated: “Tobacco control is a public health priority of the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. This convention is the first legally binding international public health treaty developed under the auspices of the WHO.” According to Gift, the convention does not seek to eradicate tobacco completely, but rather reduce use of it. “This agreement will also allow lower and middle income countries the firm backing to develop effective strategic plans to eliminate tobacco market niches in their countries,” said Rahael, who added that it will act as a catalyst for strengthening tobacco control legislation and programmes.

The Health Minister added: “The question of advertising, selling cigarettes to children under age and other policies and legislative framework will be provided.” Lead agency in implementing the initiative, aimed at reducing tobacco’s devastating effect on public health, is the National Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Programme (NADAPP). In paid two-page advertisements published in daily newspapers over the past few days, NADAPP has been advising that in the short term, there will be a “comprehensive ban” on public advertising and sponsorship by tobacco companies, as well as a ban on smoking in all public places.

The agency will also be taking action to ensure that all public facilities, including workplaces and public transport, provide facilities to protect non-smokers from second-hand smoke. In addition, there will be an increase in public education programmes on tobacco usage, strict enforcement of the law prohibiting sale of tobacco to persons under the age of 18 and removal of misleading or deceptive terms such as “light”, “low tar” and “mild” from tobacco packages. The effort has the full support of the TT Cancer Society which has been spearheading the local campaign for tobacco control for about three decades.

This global effort comes against the grim backdrop of a mortality rate from tobacco which is expected to reach 10 million a year by 2020. This increase is expected to be felt most severely in developing countries like Trinidad and Tobago. It is estimated that 84 percent of the world’s 1.8 billion smokers are living in developing countries. Several Western governments have already taken a tough stance against smoking and some of the world’s largest tobacco growers, including India, Japan, Pakistan, Thailand and Turkey, have agreed to be bound by the convention. Closer to home, Cuba, home of the fine cigar, has introduced tough new regulations on smoking in public places. It is now banned in most work places, cigarette machines are being removed and it will be illegal to sell tobacco products close to school.

The measure is having a profound effect on the island. Almost half of all Cuban adults smoke and tobacco and cigar exports are vital to the economy, generating more than US$200 million a year. However, it is estimated that 6,000 Cubans die every year from smoking related illnesses. President Fidel Castro, a one-time keen cigar smoker who quit in the mid-1980s, is reported to have provided the inspiration for the ban. In Canada, which has some of the lowest smoking levels in the world, tough anti-smoking measures have been adopted in recent years, including bans on smoking in workplaces and many public places. In addition, cigarette packages bear graphic images of the damage done to internal organs by smoking.

There has also been a tightening of laws in India where, according to a 1996 survey, 112 million people smoke tobacco and 96 million use tobacco products like chewing tobacco. Laws have banned direct and indirect advertising of tobacco products and the sale of cigarettes to children. In the United Kingdom, there are moves to ban smoking in almost all enclosed public areas, including offices, factories, cafes, restaurants and pubs. Not all countries are enthusiastically adopting the convention. Only ten of the 25 states in the European Union have ratified the treaty and the United States is yet to sign on, reportedly because of pressure from its tobacco industry. The US is home to many of the world’s leading cigarette manufacturers. However, many cities and states there are either considering or enforcing bans on smoking.