Minister of Heath Joseph Kasonde has disclosed that Zambia was among many countries in the world that have embraced the World Health Organization (WHO) framework convention on tobacco control.
Dr. Kasonde said Zambia has since enacted and continue to enforce national and local smoke free measures to protect its people against exposure to conditions that were harmful to human health.
The Minister said he will submit the proposal to ban tobacco sponsorship, promotion and advertising in Zambia to cabinet.
He said this today during the commemoration of world no tobacco day celebrations in Lusaka.
He also revealed that the global statistic show that six million tobacco related deaths occur every year in the world.
Dr. Kasonde stated that out of this number, 600,000 are non smokers who are exposed to passive smoking.
He added that data from 151 countries show that about seven percent of adolescent girls smoke cigarettes as opposed to twelve percent of adolescent boys.
He also disclosed that in Zambia, 27 percent of men compared to three percent women smoked tobacco while the record also reveals that nine percent of boys in Zambia smoke compared to eight percent of girls respectively.
And World Health Organization (WHO) Representative Olusegun Babaniyi expressed sadness that tobacco related deaths have increased not only in Zambia but the rest of the world.
Dr. Babaniyi said in order to reduce tobacco related deaths, it was important that countries consider banning tobacco sponsorship, promotion and advertising.
He said although many countries were making significant strides in eradicating smoking and public smoking, there is more to be done in Zambia and other countries.
ZANIS
“CONTEMPLATES!” JUST BAN SMOKING IN ZAMBIA.
You have a living testimony Sata, he will be excited to tell the consequences of smoking. Sata polluted Lusaka, parliament, PF secretariat and worse of all Ba Christina Kaseba’s bedroom with cigars!!
Yes, just ban this chi thingy mwe!
Kaunda banned cigarette advertising when he was President. I don’t recall anyone lifting this ban! If this is the case then prosecute the culprits.
Extreme measures belong to totalitarian regimes, such as where women are not allowed to drive, not allowed to go shopping unaccompanied by males, etc,. Such and similar measures not welcome in Zambia, please. People will make up own minds about cigarettes, and so on.
Good way! I know that experts in “Human rights” will cry foul! Ban Mosi adverts and Chibuku too (Alcohol in short)! These are killers and are responsible for many human woes!
It is naive for zambia to imitate everything the western countries do. The percentage of smokers in zambia is so small that you closed the only cigarette
manufacturing company. We have no smoking problem like other countries , therefore any more measures will be uncalled for and excessive.
Wake up minister Kaunda laws are stale and expired.
When I visited home last summer holiday, I came with my Chinese friends. They were surprised that almost no one smokes in Zambia. Tobacco is big business and brings into the country the much needed Forex. All we need to do is handle the issue well and continue educating our youth on the dangers of smoking at the same time encourage our farmers to grow more tobacco so as to bring in more Forex.
Strange why focus must be on banning an advert or adverts instead of outlawing the cultivation of cassava altogether. Its like saying “keep growing tobacco, keep selling the cigarettes but do it quietly”.
Next the world should look at enforcing Coca Cola to disclose the ingredients in that black drink of theirs.
tobacco not cassava
Just make them very expensive even K50 a packet, south Africa did that in the USA average price is $8 for a pack