TT youth top smokers in region

Rahael made the remarks with reference to the findings of the 2002 Global Youth Survey which included TT.

He admitted that the findings were not favourable and showed that 40 percent of the children interviewed experimented with tobacco. "Smoking among children between the ages of 13 and 15 is considerably higher here in TT than in other Caribbean islands. The age of initiation for children in Trinidad is 12-13 years and 10-11 years in Tobago."

Rahael said the ministry has attempted to heighten public awareness about the dangers of tobacco use through partnerships with other ministries and NGOs, and has brought legislation to stop the sale of tobacco to minors.

Despite this, the global survey indicated that these efforts were not effective and, in the long run, proved to be "lax regulatory mechanisms" which failed to target the population.

"As a result, the tobacco company has had free reign in advertising and promoting at numerous public activities throughout the country," Rahael said.

However, the ministry has been able to get tobacco companies to voluntarily agree not to advertise in the print or electronic media or billboards. Rahael said they continue to try in other areas.

He said tobacco use among youths was on the rise and this increase was directly linked to the tobacco industry’s strategy to aggressively market to youths in sporting, cultural and educational events. Rahael said tobacco use was the second highest cause of death worldwide, and the World Health Organisation said it is responsible for five million deaths.

"Evidence indicates that the poisonous chemicals in cigarettes can harm every organ in the body," Rahael said. He assured that TT was committed to controlling smoking using strategies in the FCTC.

TT was the first Caribbean country to ratify the convention. It became binding when the 40th country ratified it earlier this year.

Dr Rosemary Paul said cigarettes contained chemical substances which people would not otherwise ingest. She referred to nicotine, which is found in insecticides, vinyl chloride which is found in plastics, and ammonia, a component of toilet cleaners.

The cancer-causing agents in tobacco lead to cancer in the mouth, lip, throat and other parts of the body. She said smoking also intensified the effects of conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.