Legislation will not shut down tobacco industry

Friday, February 17, 2012

Dear Editor,

I wish to respond to a letter the Observer of February 15 from Ms Nicolette Crump who shares her concern about the banning of tobacco, the impact it will have on the sales at her stall and her ability to take care of herself and her family.

We empathise with the situation as she presents it but must point out that it is not true that the impending tobacco legislation will ban the sale of cigarettes. The background to the soon to be passed tobacco legislation in Jamaica is that this legislation is based on the treaty that the Government of Jamaica signed in 2005, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Draft tobacco legislation has been in place since 2005, but there have been delays in the tobacco control bill being passed in Parliament.

The FCTC, the world's first public health treaty, was formulated as a result of the increasing number of deaths and disabilities caused by cigarette smoking and second-hand smoke. The requirements include a ban on smoking in public places and on the sale of tobacco to minors - a law is already in place but is poorly enforced - a ban on the advertising and promotion of cigarettes and tobacco products at points of sale and in other places, and the placement on cigarette packs of pictures of people whose bodies or organs have been damaged by smoking as a graphic alert about the health risks.

While it is legal to smoke, what must be recognised is that most people who smoke are addicted and would break this habit if they could, and that most of them began smoking before the age of 18 - the legal age for smoking. At this young age they were not fully aware of the dangers.

We applaud Ms Crump's interest in becoming a nurse and we wish her well in this endeavour. She will find that this profession will bring her face to face with the fact that tobacco smoking is the most preventable cause of death. We suspect that she will then have a change of heart in her attitude towards cigarettes.

Years from now, current nicotine addicts, unable to work regularly or not at all, suffering from strokes, various cancers and other health problems due to tobacco smoking, will be correct to ask why governments and those who knew the risks did not do more to educate and warn them about the long-term health hazards. The incapacity they suffer will have a direct emotional and financial impact on their family, community and ultimately national development.

We are heartened by recent comments made by the new minister of health, Dr Fenton Ferguson, that the tabling of tobacco legislation in keeping with Jamaica's obligations under the FCTC is high priority for the Ministry of Health and forms a part of the fundamental commitments that the ministry is undertaking in response to the challenges of non-communicable diseases. We stand ready to support the government in achieving this important milestone.

Deborah Chen

Executive Director

Heart Foundation of Jamaica

Kingston 5

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Legislation will not shut down tobacco industry