Bintou Camara said in Africa and around the world, tobacco companies fight hardest against the measures they know work to reduce tobacco use.
By Chikezie Omeje (ICIR)
The Ethiopian parliament on Tuesday (5th February) passed unanimously the Food and Medicine Administration Proclamation which is expected to save lives and protect over 105 million people in Africa’s second most populous nation.
You can read Ethiopia’s Food and Medicine Administration Proclamation here
Bintou Camara, Director of Africa Programs, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, has praised Ethiopia for passing a new regulation for tobacco, describing it as “historic public health legislation that will become one of Africa’s strongest laws on reducing tobacco use.”
According to Camera, the new law requires 100 percent smoke-free public and work places, bans tobacco advertising and promotions, restricts the sale of flavored tobacco products and mandates pictorial warning labels covering 70 percent of the front and back of all tobacco products.
◌ ALSO: Ethiopian high school students are highly exposed to such addictive substances as khat and hookah
“The law also bans the sale of heated tobacco products, e-cigarettes and shisha, and prohibits tobacco sales to anyone under the age of 21,” Camera said in a statement.
“The impact of Ethiopia’s new law cannot be overstated. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids congratulates the Ethiopian government for this important public health victory.
“As tobacco companies continue to set their sights on Africa, Ethiopia has set an example for what all African nations can and should to do curb tobacco use, the world’s leading cause of preventable death.”
Camera said in Africa and around the world, tobacco companies fight hardest against the measures they know work to reduce tobacco use.
She urged the Ethiopian government to implement the law as swiftly as possible and remain vigilant against attempts by tobacco companies to undermine this tremendous progress.
Tobacco and related products use is a global problem and it causes more than seven million deaths every year, according to the World Health Organization. And close to 900,000 are non-smokers dying from breathing second-hand smoke. Over the years, accumulated scientific evidence shows that tobacco smoking is a leading cause of heart disease.
Read the complete story at ICIR