[Intl-tobacco] Swaziland Prepares Tobacco Control Law

[Robert Weissman]

Swaziland Prepares Law to Ban Smoking

by Vuyisile Hlatshwayo SWAZILAND; Source: Panafrican News Agency,
Wednesday, 5/31/00

MBABANE, Swaziland (PANA) - Swaziland is currently preparing legislation
aimed at discouraging smoking in public places and indiscriminate sale of
tobacco in the country.

Speaking in Mbabane Wednesday during the launch of World No Tobacco Day,
the country's health and social welfare minister, Phetsile Dlamini,
appealed to businesses to stop using sports sponsorship to advertise
tobacco.

She also appealed to larger countries not to dump cigarettes banned in
their respective territory in Swaziland.

She denounced the smuggling of such cigarettes into the country where they
were being sold even to the youth.

"We appeal to everyone not to smoke on 31 May, 2000 and onwards in the new
millennium," she said.

She justified the theme of this year's event, "Tobacco Kills, Do Not Be
Fooled." She regretted that although tobacco kills many Swazis, it is over
advertised.

She warned Swazis not to be cheated that smoking was trendy and
fashionable, highlighting the health hazards it causes.

She said among the many diseases caused by tobacco smoking, were heart
diseases and hypertension, cancers of the lung, throat, voice box and
mouth, bronchitis, pneumonia and emphysema and asthma.

Dlamini also warned that smoking pregnant mothers exposed their unborn
baby to nicotine.

"This causes small brain and poor growth rate and general failure to
thrive as well as easy infections," she said.

Dlamini added that smoking is also a health hazard to family and friends.

"For this reason we discourage smoking in public which exposes other
people.  Smoking is an expensive slow suicide," she said.

Meanwhile, Siboniso Mdluli of the Council of Swaziland Against Alcohol and
Drug echoed the words of the minister, discouraging the youth from tobacco
smoking.

He lamented that the youth still think smoking is trendy and fashionable
which has resulted in an increase in the number of youth smokers in the
country.

Swaziland's World Health Organisation representative, T. Lesikel, also
warned Swazi nationals about the dangers associated with tobacco use.

She singled out rolled tobacco as more harmful than the other tobacco
products because it has a higher content of nicotine and tar.

Lesikel also warned the youth not to be fooled by advertisements, which
tell them that if they smoke they assume high status, look good, become
popular and women feel more independent.

She re-affirmed WHO's commitment in the fight against tobacco by providing
technical and financial assistance to the ministry of health and social
welfare and its partners in the fight against tobacco.

The ministry of health and social welfare, jointly with the WHO office,
would distribute brochure with information on the dangers of
tobacco-smoking to people at the various strategic places like bus
terminals and shopping malls in the two cities of Mbabane and Manzini.

		Copyright (c) 2000 Panafrican News Agency.