THE theme of educating the population against the dangers of tobacco is one to which consumer advocates always return, since it is among the greatest causes of death and debilitation in modern society. The Guyana Consumers Association (GCA), PAHO/WHO and the Ministry of Public Health under former Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy, who was himself one of the most committed crusaders against tobacco, first began the uphill struggle against it. It was in those early years that the present legislation to control tobacco use was formulated, as well as when the graphic warnings were adopted. In this process, there was much interchange among Caribbean countries.

When the Tobacco Control Council laid out its plans for 2020, the Guyana Consumers Association committed itself to lend its support to help the council achieve a successful year. At this point, we would reiterate some facts relating to the dangers of tobacco use.
Tobacco use, according to WHO statistics, causes more than six million preventable deaths each year and the majority of these occur in low and middle-income countries such as Guyana. In the developed countries, tobacco use is falling away but in the developing countries, it is growing, especially among the youth.

Tobacco is responsible for the onset of a number of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). These include several types of cancer – lung cancer, cancer of the throat and mouth, and cancers of the kidney, bladder, stomach and uterine cervix.

Tobacco increases the risk of heart disease and stroke as well as hypertension. Smoking is an independent risk factor for diabetes. Diabetics who smoke die much earlier and the condition is exacerbated with amputation and problems associated with vision.

Smoking causes emphysema, bronchitis, pneumonia, erectile dysfunction in men and miscarriages in women. Second-hand smoking, that is, others who are non-smokers inhaling the smoke emitted from smokers, is equally dangerous to health.

The negative economic effects of smoking are well known. It debilitates large sections of the workforce whose productivity falls and it places added financial burdens on the state, with the cost of hospitalisation for sufferers from tobacco use. Families also suffer when the breadwinner becomes ill from tobacco use or may prematurely die, thereby imposing unnecessary financial and emotional stress on wives, children and other dependants.

Over 57 per cent of Guyanese suffer from non-communicable diseases of one type or another and many of these diseases could be traced back to tobacco use. Seventy per cent of the deaths in Guyana are caused by heart disease, cancers, hypertension, lung diseases and diabetes and these diseases are either caused or exacerbated by tobacco use.

For its 2020 agenda, the National Tobacco Control Council (NTCC) has committed itself to enforce the Tobacco Act. There are many facets to the Act, but we will underscore a few of their initiatives: it will protect non-smokers, especially children, from second-hand smoke by instituting a ban on smoking in all public places such as parks, public transport or public rooms in offices or waiting rooms.

Another important activity of the NTCC is in respect of the tobacco industry where it will ensure the industry complies with the regulations, especially in the promotion and sale of its product and in packaging relating to the pictorial warnings,

In addition to the general public, the NTCC expects to devote a great deal of its time to educating and informing stakeholders. There will be workshops for media personnel, governmental and inspectorate agencies and others who may be involved in helping to execute the tobacco legislation.

As important as enforcement of the Act, is the effort to have smokers voluntarily give up the habit or addiction. Various “Quit Smoking Guides” are available from various countries, but to be successful, there must be a personal involvement with smokers who would wish to quit. Helplines should also be established.