South African Health Minister's Speech (fwd)

[Robert Weissman <rob@essential.org>]

TOBACCO PRODUCTS CONTROL AMENDMENT BILL

Issued by: Government Communications (GCIS)

     TOBACCO PRODUCTS CONTROL AMENDMENT BILL SPEECH BY DR NC ZUMA, THE
     MINISTER OF HEALTH TO THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF PROVINCES 7 OCTOBER 1998 

     Chairperson Honourable Members 

     Let me begin by thanking all of you who have participated in the
deliberations over this Bill thus far in particular
     let met thank the honourable Dr Cwele and all the members of his
committee. 

     South Africa is on the brink of joining the growing number of countries
which have taken strong legislative action
     against tobacco, in response to the global threat to health posed by
smoking. 

     In brief, the Tobacco Products Amendment Bill will do the following: 

     * it will reduce the pressure on young people to begin a lifelong
addiction at age 15 and younger. 

     * it will protect the constitutional right of the non-smoking majority
to a smoke free environment 

     * It will attempt to reduce the harmfulness of cigarettes for those who
cannot or will not stop smoking. 

     The Bill will do this by: 

     * prohibiting the advertising and promotion of tobacco products. 

     * prohibiting the free distribution of tobacco products. 

     * limiting smoking in public places including the workplace. 

     * allowing for the regulation of the nicotine and tar levels of tobacco
smoke. 

     I now wish to deal with the rationale for these measures: 

     1. TOBACCO ADVERTISING 

     * A ban on tobacco advertising and promotion has been recommended by
both the World Health Organization
     and the World Bank indicating that the measures are prudent in both
health and economic terms. 

     * These organizations recommended restrictions on tobacco advertising
for the same reason that the tobacco
     industry spends vast amounts of money on it - because advertising
increases sales and consumption of tobacco. 

     * Tobacco industry advertising has 3 main purposes. These are, to
acquire new users; to hold current ones; and
     to re-acquire lapsed users of their products. 

     * These purposes contradict public health goals. 

     * The policy of this government is to ensure that young people do not
start; that current smokers should be
     assisted to quit; and that ex-smokers should remain tobacco-free. 

     2. THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY TARGETS CHILDREN 

     * Children are a key-market for the tobacco industry. Tobacco industry
marketing documents released during
     trails in the United States show that the industries are experts on
when, how and why children smoke. 

     * Some of the best brains in advertising employ all the tools of modern
communication to hook children to
     tobacco. Of course, the tobacco industry denies that it wants children
to smoke. They claim that they market to
     adults. However their internal marketing documents reveal that "the
high school student is the base of their
     business." 

     3. ADVERTISING BANS REDUCE SMOKING 

     * The tobacco industry spends R240 million a year on advertising and
promotions, yet claims that it does not
     influence either adults or children to smoke. This argument is
preposterous. 

     * Both the US and UK governments after examining the evidence have
concluded that a ban on smoking results
     in a fall in smoking levels. 

     * In Norway, Finland, New Zealand and France - four countries with
effective bans on tobacco advertising and
     promotions - cigarette sales decreased by 14 and 37% from the year
advertising was totally banned to 1996. 

     4 SMOKING IN THE WORKPLACE 

     * It is particularly important to ensure that workplace are smoke free.
Many people spend more of their day
     time at work than at any other place. This in the course of a working
life of 40 or more years, exposure to
     tobacco smoke at work can be considerable. 

     * It is now a scientific fact that passive smoking causes lung cancer
and heart disease in non-smokers. 

     * In recent years voluntary policies to restrict smoking in the
workplace have greatly increased. But large
     numbers of workers continue to be involuntarily exposed to the dangers
of passive smoking. More than 70% of
     smokers and 90% of non-smokers support restrictions on smoking in
public places. 

     * This Bill will contribute towards a safer and healthier work
environment for all. 

     5. FREE SAMPLES 

     * The distribution of free samples of cigarettes encourages
experimentation with tobacco products by children
     and young people. 

     * Teenagers are very price-sensitive and the availability of free
cigarettes is an inducement to start smoking or to
     increase consumption. 

     * The tobacco industry has distributed free packets of cigarettes at
shopping malls, Technikons, universities,
     colleges and clubs as part of its marketing strategy.. 

     7. SAFER SMOKING 

     * While there is no such thing as a safe cigarette, it remains the goal
of public health to make cigarettes less
     harmful for those who will not, or cannot, stop smoking. 

     * Thus this Bill will enable the Minister to set limits on the emission
products of cigarettes and to progressively
     lower the levels of harmful substances in smoke. 

     ALLOW ME NOW TO TACKLE SOME OF THE KEY ARGUMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN RAISED
     AGAINST THIS BILL. 

     * The tobacco industry argues that tobacco is vital to our economy
because it creates jobs and is an important
     farm crop. Yet, despite greatly increased consumption of tobacco in
South Africa, since 1950 the number of
     tobacco farms and the amount of land cultivated have both steadily
declined. 

     * The number of tobacco farms in South Africa has declined and will
continue decline even if health legislation is
     not enacted. The main reasons for job losses in tobacco growing are the
activities of the cigarette manufacturers
     and not actions by health groups. 

     * The plight of the tobacco growers arises from two factors - the cost
and the quality of the tobacco leaf. South
     African tobacco is both more expensive and inferior in quality compared
to Zimbabwean and Malawian
     tobacco. 

     * Local cigarette manufacturers have therefore found it more profitable
to import tobacco to meet local demand,
     while unwanted South African tobacco has been exported at a loss. The
economic impact has been an outflow
     in foreign exchange and a loss of jobs. 

     * The government cannot keep0 our ailing tobacco farm economy alive by
sacrificing the health of smokers. 

     * Moreover, even if all tobacco control measures were adopted, tobacco
use would only fall gradually over
     time. 

     * Most cigarette-related jobs would remain for many years and the
gradual reduction of jobs would allow
     workers to make an orderly transition. 

     * Money not spent on cigarettes will still be spent, but for other
goods and services, thereby creating new jobs. 

     * In fast, the United States tobacco industry itself admits: "If the
(tobacco) industry would vanish tomorrow,
     more would find alternative work." 

     * The main contribution of tobacco to our economy is not jobs and
wealth but increased health costs and lost
     productivity. 

     * More working days are lost to SA industry each year due to
absenteeism caused by smoking related diseases
     than from strikes. 

     WHAT ARE THE EMPLOYMENT EFFECTS OF REDUCING TOBACCO CONSUMPTION IN
     SOUTH AFRICA? 

     * Chairperson, no government in this country has prioritised job
creation and championed the rights and interests
     of workers like the ANC government. Hence our commitment to the
Presidential Job Summit which was
     announced by the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Alec Erwin. 

     * It is therefor absurd for anyone to suggest that this government does
not have the interest of workers at heart. 

     * Mr Chairperson, the facts speak for themselves, regarding the
employment effects of reducing tobacco
     consumption in South Africa. 

     * Let us consider some of the conclusions on the University of Cape's
Project on the Economics of Tobacco
     Control who studied the employment in the tobacco manufacturing sector
in South Africa between 1945 to
     1995. 

     * Their studies showed that: "There was a considerable decrease in
employment over the 1960s which was
     followed by a steady increase in the 1970s and early 1980s. This was
followed again by a decline in the late
     1980s and early 1990s. From 1985 to 1995 the average decline employment
in the industry was 5.6%. 

     * Yes, the structural adjustment effects of the transition to an
economy less dependent on tobacco will not be
     zero. 

     * In fact the UCT studies showed that while some jobs would be lost in
those sectors immediately associated
     with cigarette production, there would be a net gain in employment in
all other sectors of the economy. 

     * According to them: "The inescapable conclusion is that stronger
tobacco control policies do not jeopardise
     employment, as the industry argues." 

     "In addition to the obvious health benefits from using stronger tobacco
control policies that impact on tobacco
     cessation, there are also economic and employment benefits." 

     "Let us not be fooled: "The principal contribution of the tobacco
industry is not as a source of employment or
     revenue, but it's contribution is in the leading role they play as it
source of illness and premature death." 

     "The fact that stronger tobacco control measures contribute to the
country's economic health, is just an
     additional worthwile side-effect to the fact that it improves the
country's public health status." 

     LET US CONSIDER WHETHER OR NOT A BAN ON TOBACCO ADVERTISING AND
     PROMOTION IS CONSTITUTIONAL? 

     * Many people are concerned that a ban on tobacco advertising may be an
attack on freedom of speech. 

     * They say that in opposing such a ban they are not "protecting tobacco
but free commercial speech". 

     * If commercial speech needs protection then so, emphatically, do
children also need protection. 

     * Chairperson, I argue that it is responsible public policy to protect
nine and ten year olds from enticements of
     an industry which wants them to use an addictive drug. 

     * Almost every constitution, worldwide, including our own constitution,
permits restrictions on freedom to
     protect the welfare of the public. 

     * Many self-respecting countries with excellent democratic traditions,
including France, Australia and Norway,
     have banned tobacco advertising for just this reason. 

     Chairperson, Honourable members - now is the time to act. 

     * Just as surely as smoking causes cancer, so does the industry target
our children and the youth. 

     * Tomorrow's smokers are being recruited today. 

     * The best way to keep their hands of kids is to ban all tobacco
advertising, promotions and sponsorships and
     to enforce the laws against sales to minors. 

     * Our children have a right to grow up in a "smoke-free", world, free
from addiction to tobacco, and it society's
     responsibility to guarantee that right for them. 

     * I urge you, therefore, to act decisively in the interest of our
country, and do so now. 

     * We owe it to the future of this country. 

     * Just as our forebears waged herole struggles to affirm their dignity
and rightful claim to this land. 

     * Just as the generation of our esteemed President, Comrade Nelson
Mandela, sacrificed all to remain true to
     principle, thereby ushering in this glorious period of political
emancipation. 

     * So too, as today's leaders, are we being called to rise to the
challenge of our time. And that challenge is
     simple: 

     IT IS TO ACT NOW, TO ENSURE A BETTER LIFE FOR ALL OUR PEOPLE 

     I sincerely believe, that with the support of this house, the Tobacco
Products Control Amendment Bill, will
     contribute to that effort. 

     I thank you! 

                                 [ index by subject - length | newswire root ] 

source: http://www.anc.org.za/anc/newsbrief/1998/news1009 
processed Fri 9 Oct 1998 06:03 EDT by Omar C. Jadwat (newswire@bibim.com).