The Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill, 2018 (Tobacco Control Bill) has reached the Cabinet which is a milestone in its passage into law. Here is the update on the progress to enact the Tobacco Control Bill
- The 1st pre-Cabinet Committee (Technical Working Committee) recommended the Bill to the next committee.
- The 2nd pre-Cabinet Committee of the Deputy Director Generals of the 18 national departments in the Social Cluster recommended the Bill progress.
- Following the 1 August 2022 NDOH presentation of the Bill to the Forum of the Directors-Generals (FOSAD) approved the Bill to be considered by the Cabinet.
Although much remains to be done in Cabinet and Parliament (National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces) before the Bill is enacted, progress at FOSAD is a milestone. The progress also highlightsthe important roles the various stakeholders play.
Yesterday the American Lung Association warned that e-cigarettes are not safe and can cause irreversible lung damage and disease.
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US says that more than 450 cases of severe lung disease linked to the use of e-cigarettes have been reported. Symptoms include breathing difficulties, shortness of breath and sometimes chest pain before patients were hospitalized. Other symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea and fatigue, while in hospital, patients experience pneumonia and respiratory failure.
The US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) has collected 120 samples to try and identify the chemical that is the
cause of the illnesses. The chemical samples collected include nicotine, cannabinoids, additives, and pesticides.
The CDC has asked the public to stop using
e-cigarettes because of these cases of severe illness that they are seeing. We
agree.
There is plenty of evidence already to show
that e-cigarettes are harmful. With these deaths, we are seeing new levels of
harm.
E-cigarettes are being used in South Africa
without any information about what’s in the liquid they are buying. There is
also no health warning or information about the likely impact of using
e-cigarettes on the product. The lack of regulation of e-cigarettes in South
Africa has resulted in a proliferation of outlets selling these products
without providing this basic information to users.
The Draft Tobacco Bill released for public comment in over a year ago in 2018, includes the regulation of e-cigarettes. The Bill has not yet been passed. We urge government to pass the Bill urgently so that the sale of e-cigarettes can be regulated. Lives are at stake!
We recommend that smokers who would like to
stop smoking avoid the use of e-cigarettes, and instead speak to a doctor or
pharmacist about other ways to stop smoking, including nicotine replacement
therapy.
The National Council Against Smoking runs a telephone counselling quitline (011 7203145) where smokers can get advice and support to help them stop smoking. CANSA has an online support site to help smokers to stop.
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Tobacco addiction is a global epidemic that ravages entire countries and regions, wreaking the most havoc in the most vulnerable countries and creating an enormous toll of disability, disease, lost productivity and death. Tobacco use continues to be the leading global cause of preventable death. It kills nearly 6 million people every year through cancer, heart disease, respiratory diseases, childhood diseases and others. It also causes hundreds of billions of dollars of economic losses worldwide every year. If current trends continue, by 2030 tobacco will kill more than 8 million people worldwide every year, with 80% of these premature deaths occurring among people in low- and middle-income countries. Over the course of the 21st century, tobacco use could kill up to a billion people unless urgent action is taken.
We know what works to curb the tobacco epidemic. The action we need to take is laid out in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). So far, 173 nations (plus the European Union) have pledged to work together to implement the Convention in order to protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke. However, these tobacco control efforts are systematically opposed by the tobacco industry. Who or what is the tobacco industry and what forms do its interference with public health efforts take?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC)1 and its Parties acknowledge that
the tobacco industry represents a serious threat to the achievement of the Convention’s goals and objectives. In fact, Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC calls on Parties to protect public health policies from the commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry. All governmental sectors – including direct administration, with the executive, legislative and judicial branches, as well as indirect and autonomous administration –are bound to comply with Article 5.3.
In 2009, the Conference of the Parties approved by consensus the guidelines2 to assist Parties in meeting their legal obligations under this article of the WHO FCTC. The Guidelines remind everyone that there is a fundamental and irreconcilable conflict between the tobacco industry’s interests and public health policy interests. On the one hand, the tobacco industry produces and promotes a product that has been proven scientifically to be highly addictive, to harm and kill many and to give rise to a variety of social ills, including increased poverty. On the other hand, many governments and public health workers try to improve the health of their populations by implementing the measures to reduce the use of tobacco contained in the WHO FCTC. The tobacco industry recognizes the impact of these measures on its sales and actively fights against them. Time and time again it has used its resources to kill off these public health policies, water them down when it cannot stop them altogether, and undermine their enforcement when they are passed.
This technical resource presents information to support the implementation of the Article 5.3 Guidelines
by sharing practical action steps and best practices and examples applicable to the implementation of
Article 5.3. It also includes links to supporting materials for easy reference. The technical resource should always be used in association with the text of the WHO FCTC and with its Article 5.3 Guidelines.
The target audience of this publication is government authorities and employees at all levels, since the
Article 5.3 Guidelines are applicable to all branches and levels of government. It is expected that coordinators and managers of tobacco control programmes will take the lead in the dissemination and application of this technical resource, helping countries to comply with Article 5.3. The technical resource may also be useful to people in academia, nongovernmental organizations and the private sector who are involved in implementation of the WHO FCTC.
All the tobacco industry’s tactics and interference with public policy-making are aimed at increasing
tobacco consumption and are detrimental to public health.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_btn title=”Download Now” color=”primary” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sancda.org.za%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2017%2F06%2F2012-WHO-Technical-Resource-for-country-implementation-of-FCTC-1.pdf|||”][/vc_column][/vc_row]
The crackdown on smoking for SKouth Africans is about to become much tougher as government gets ready to tighten the regulations. The change in the tobacco control act of 1993 comes under further change as South Africa falls in line with international standards after joining WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control on July 18, 2005. These changes are still up for comment and discussion in parliament at the beginning of this year.
Information Originally appeared on Tobaccocontrollaws.org
Smoke Free Places: Designated smoking areas in indoor workplaces, public places, and public transport are allowed. For workplaces and specified public places, up to 25 percent of floor space may be set aside for smoking. Specified public places include: smoking establishments, bars, pubs, taverns, night clubs, casinos, restaurants, hotels, guesthouses, Bed & Breakfasts, game lodges, and airports. In passenger ships and passenger trains with more than 10 cars, up to 25 percent of the space may be designated as smoking areas. Passenger trains with fewer than 10 cars may designate only one car as a smoking area. Sub-national jurisdictions can enact smoke free laws that are more stringent than the national law.
Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship: Nearly all forms of tobacco advertising and promotion are prohibited, with certain exceptions including that tobacco products may be visible at point of sale but must be displayed in such a manner that customers may not handle tobacco products prior to purchase. Although sponsorship by the tobacco industry is not completely prohibited, publicity of the sponsorship is prohibited.
Tobacco Packaging and Labeling: Rotating text-only health warnings covering 15 percent of the front of the package and 25 percent of the back of the package are required on cigarette packaging. Misleading packaging and labeling, including terms such as “light” and “low tar,” is prohibited.
Roadmap to Tobacco Control Legislation: The Tobacco Products Control Act 83 of 1993 is the primary tobacco control law in South Africa and governs many aspects of tobacco control, including, but not limited to, public smoking restrictions; packaging and labeling of tobacco products; and tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. Several tobacco control regulations have been issued under this law including: 1) Regulations Relating to the Labeling, Advertising, and Sale of Tobacco Products (which regulates packaging and labeling); 2) Notice Relating to Smoking of Tobacco Products in Public Places (which regulates public smoking); 3) Regulations Relating to the Point of Sale of Tobacco Products (which regulates signs at point of sale and product display); and 4) Regulations Relating to Provisions for Exemption For Unintended Consequences and the Phasing out of Existing Sponsorship or Contractual Obligations (which exempts cross-border advertising from the ban on advertising, promotion and sponsorship).
