On May 1989, the World Health Organization passed a resolution calling for May 31st to be annually recognized as World No Tobacco Day (WNTD). This Tuesday being the 31st of May, the world will mark this day amidst research findings that show that tobacco cultivation and consumption increases poverty, depletes national resources and is directly responsible for approximately 5.4 million preventable deaths worldwide annually arising out of related illnesses such as heart attacks, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, strokes and several forms of cancer.
Tobacco is a product of the fresh leaves of “nicotiana” plants. It is largely believed to have originated from the Americas and was introduced in Europe by Jean Nicot, a French Ambassador to Portugal in 1559 before becoming popular across the globe.
In May 2003, the 192 WHO member states unanimously adopted the “Framework Convention on Tobacco Control” (FCTC) which expressed firm commitment to address public health challenges posed by tobacco consumption.
Approximately 60% of the 5.700 billion cigarettes smoked annually and close to 70% of tobacco users are residents of developing countries. Research indicates that over the recent decades, tobacco use declined in many high-income countries which is food for thought for developing countries.
It is however disconcerting to observe that whereas contribution of tobacco to death and disease is quite well documented, less interest is repeatedly accorded to the ways in which it in fact amplifies poverty. Scarce family resources are used up to buy cigarettes daily instead of supplementing indispensable needs such as food. A recent study conducted in Bangladesh indicated that if two-thirds of the money used to purchase cigarettes was spent on food instead, over 10 million people could be saved from malnutrition.
As expected, WNTD is often faced with resistance. Certain groups feel the day is a plan to unfairly single them out and challenge their rights. Some construe the day as a challenge to individual freedom of choice and a form of discrimination. In response to WNTD and a statewide ban on smoking in certain places, a group in Honolulu, Hawaii by names of “Americans for Freedom of Choice” organized a “World Defiance Day”. Tobacco growers and their associations feel that anti-tobacco efforts jeopardize their economic rights and insist that poor farmers in Africa will suffer should WHO efforts against tobacco succeed.
The World Bank after exploring the economic dimensions that need to be addressed while effecting tobacco control, released a report that meticulously and technically crushed assertions that there will be a huge economic loss. Such assertions have dissuaded policy makers from taking vital steps.
Research further reveals how much tobacco growing leads to the degradation of the environment and deforestation as a consequence of fire curing of some types of tobacco. To compound this already seemingly appalling state, most communities that deal in tobacco growing often employ child labour since it is exploitable.
There is an ever increasing need to protect Uganda’s teenagers and young adults from getting addicted to tobacco by regulating the tobacco industry and funding initiatives that seek to break the chain of smoking among the addicts. It is old news that for the tobacco industry to survive, it must hook new customers to replace those who quit or die. The younger children are when they first try smoking, the more likely they are to become regular smokers and less likely they are to quit.
This World No Tobacco Day, let us discuss policies that can save our youths from becoming addicts and the implementation of better tobacco control systems.
Masake Anthony
The writer works with ULS
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