Zambia To Legislate Against Smoking (fwd)

[Robert Weissman <rob@essential.org>]

Zambia To Legislate Against Smoking
by Musengwa Kayaya, PANA Correspondent
Date: Monday, 5/31/99

LUSAKA, Zambia (PANA) - Bowing to pressure from the local anti-smoking
lobby, and in recognition of the health hazards associated with tobacco
smoking, the Zambian government has promised to introduce tougher and more
effective anti-tobacco legislation. 

The regulations, according to Zambian government officials would, among
others, include a ban on smoking in specified public places to protect
non-smokers from the effects of the health threatening ''foul and
anti-social habit.''

Both Zambian Deputy Health Minister Ernest Mwansa and Director-Genral of
the Central Board of Health of the Ministry of Health, Gavin Silwamba,
Monday confirmed the government's new commitment at the world ''No-Tobacco
Day'' celebration in Lusaka.

Mwansa said in a statement read for him by Silwamba that government was
reviewing all existing relevant public health regulations to re-inforce
them to effectively deal with the tobacco habit, particularly among the
youths.

He conceded that authorities were getting alarmed by the social costs
directly or indirectly caused by tobacco consumption, in addition to the
huge medical bills arising from the treatment of tobacco-related
illnesses.

The Zambian anti-smoking lobby, including government officials, have said
that the smoking habit, apart from its health implications, has been found
to lure some of the smokers, particularlly the young, to other ''harder
drugs'' like marijuana, heroine, alcohol and others.

Mwansa regretted that developing African countries like Zambia, which were
already overwhelmed by the HIV/AIDS pandemic and other major killer
diseases like tuberclosis, should be made to spend their meagre resources
on treating complicated tobacco-induced ailments.

These include general respiratory complications and the various cancers
like lung spleen, mouth and bladder cancers, all of which medical
authorities have associated with tobacco consumption.

Silwamba said that, in addition, government was in the process of drawing
up a national plan of action against tobacco.

The board is also taking stock of all existing tobacco information,
education, communication, advocacy and social mobilisation efforts in the
country.

It is also maintaining an inventory of all organisations involved in
tobacco education with a view to help them broaden their technical
capacities in the anti-smoking campaign.

Zambia's anti-smoking lobby has in the past been spearheaded by
non-governmental groups, notable among which was the Programme Against
Substance Abuse (PASA) and the National Anti-Smoking Society.

The PASA had in 1998 in the capital convened a national anti-tobacco
conference to draw up a strategy against tobacco. The conference blamed
the government for allegedly doing very little to help control or stamp
out the tobacco habit, as evidenced by the lack of a national policy on
the scourge.

The conference, which was attended by various anti-smoking stakeholders
recommended, among others, the establishment of an anti-smoking national
fund, to which tobacco companies should be forced to contribute.

It was suggested the fund should be used for anti-smoking activities and
to supplement medical bills for ''tobacco'' patients and support family
members whose relations fell victim to tobacco related illnesses.

There are currently no statistics on the smoking trend among Zambians.
Physical evidence however suggests that tobacco is widely used among
people of both sexes and various age groups.

World Health Organisation (WHO) representative, Edward Maganu, who spoke
on the same occassion Monday, said that the current challenge with tobacco
consumption was to help reduce the projected high global tobacco-caused
death annually by the year 2030.

The WHO estimates that currently, about four million smokers die annually
worldwide from the various tobacco induced ailments. The majority of the
victims are said to be in Africa and other developing regions of the
world.

According to social research findings quoted by the Zambian anti-smoking
lobby, young people are particularly misled by the subtle tobacco
advertisements which portrayed smoking variously as ''the manly thing'' to
do and as being ''the international passport to pleasure.''

This illusory concept of ''pleasure'' is said later to lead most children
into other ''immoral conduct'' including illicit sex which exposes them to
HIV/AIDS infection.

This year's No-Tobacco Day is being observed under the theme, ''Smoking
Cessation'' with the slogan ''Leave The (cigarette) Pack Behind.''