Tanzania: Govt Urged to Curb Influx of Tobacco Adverts

Source from:  Tanzania Daily News 08/22/2012

THE government should speed up the tabling of an amendment to the country's Tobacco Products Regulatory Act of 2003 to curb the influx of cigarettes advertisements. Tanzania Tobacco Control Forum (TTCF) Executive Director, Lutgard Kagaruki said in Dar es Salaam while commending last week's Australian High Court ruling which required cigarettes companies to abide by the government's legal right to proceed with mandatory plain packaging. "This is very good news to the world of tobacco control activists including TTCF because it helps to address the problem of smoking especially among youths," Ms Kagaruki said. She said research carried out at Muhimbili National Hospital and Ocean Road Cancer Institute indicated that the government spends more than 30 million US dollars per year in treating tobacco-related cancers, yet more than 3,000 people die annually from these diseases. "Other diseases that are tobacco-related include heart disease and stroke, diabetes, stomach ulcers, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and impotence. Globally, tobacco kills nearly six million smokers each year and another 600,000 nonsmokers who are exposed to second-hand smoking," she argued saying a tough law will help reduce the problem. Ms Kagaruki argued that unless urgent action is taken, the annual death toll could rise to more than eight million by 2030 of which 80 per cent will be from low and middle income countries including Tanzania. "TTCF urges the government to put in place legislation, in order to protect current and future generations from the devastating consequences of tobacco smoke," she argued. Tanzania is signatory to World Health Organization (WHO)'s Framework Convention for Tobacco Control which requires that the local law complies with the Convention by introducing strict regulations including a total ban on advertisement of cigarettes and bold warning statement and graphical image on cigarette packs. After the Australian High Court ruling, all cigarettes packaging in that country will not be allowed to have tobacco company logos and brand imagery effective next December and instead the products will be sold in brown coloured boxes with the brand names in standard text; the only imaging allowed will be photos of people suffering from diseases caused by tobacco use. The purpose of the legislation is to prevent youths from starting smoking by reducing the appeal of tobacco packaging. Research shows that young people "like" regular packs and found plain packaging "boring" and "less trendy". They reported that they were less likely to start smoking if all cigarettes were sold in plain packs, the court ruling stated in part. Enditem