Rwanda to Draft Tobacco Control Law

Source from:  Xinhua News  10/17/2013

Rwandan Health Minister Agnes Binagwaho said Wednesday the government was drawing up a tobacco consumption code to protect both smokers and nonsmokers from the effects of smoking.

Speaking on the sidelines of an international conference on fighting tobacco, the Rwandan official said the code was also intended to raise greater awareness, especially among youths, about the dangers of smoking.

Tobacco, which is widely grown in Rwanda, is estimated to cause 30 percent of all cancers diagnosed in the country every year, according to official statistics.

"The policy deals with informing people about tobacco use and those who might be affected by second hand smoking, apart from ensuring that children are not exposed," Binagwaho said.

Several government ministries, lobby groups and nongovernmental organizations and the World Health Organizations (WHO) have joined the health ministry in drafting the tobacco consumption code, which is expected to be published later this year.

The authorities have been jolted into action to control tobacco consumption after a recent survey found one in every five teenagers smoked, making tobacco the second most widely abused substance by adolescents in Rwanda after alcohol. Enditem