CMC
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Jamaica intends joining its Caribbean Community (CARICOM) partners in banning smoking in public areas and the workplace. So far the legislation exists in Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname and Health Minister Dr. Fenton Ferguson, says he will be seeking the assistance of local and international partners, including the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), in the effort to reduce tobacco use here.
He said the Portia Simpson Miller administration is seeking to table the Tobacco Control Act, which will protect citizens from the harmful effects of tobacco smoking, by prohibiting its use in public areas and workplaces.
When it takes place, I will be calling upon PAHO and other institutions for support because we are up against a very powerful industry and it is going to require allies, local and international, in going forward, Dr. Ferguson said, adding that the government is determined to ban public smoking, even while the tobacco industry brings to the table, significant tax revenue for the country.
I heard their financial statements only a week ago' almost J$6.5 billion profit (One Jamaica dollar = US$0.01 cents). But, whatever that might be, I am saying at the back-end, we are fighting to put in place a strategic plan (2013/2018) for non communicable diseases (NCDs).
When we come to recognise that it is costing the country some US$170 million annually to deal with the NCDs, it is very clear in my mind that we have a responsibility, he added.
Statistics from the 2008 Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey show that by the age of 16 years, 19 per cent of smokers had initiated the habit and 14.5 per cent smoke cigarettes, while 13.5 per cent admit to marijuana use.
Figures provided by the Jamaica Cancer Society (JCS) reveal that approximately 80,000 young people across the world become addicted to tobacco each day and if trends continue, an estimated 250 million children and young people will die as a result of tobacco-related illnesses
