THERE is a saying that ‘a healthy nation is a wealthy nation’ and Guyana must be commended for taking a ‘healthy step’ by passing the Tobacco Control Bill, which essentially seeks to control the effects of tobacco.
The tobacco epidemic remains one of the greatest public health threats of the 21st century, claiming the lives of seven million people annually. Six million of those deaths are a direct result of tobacco consumption, while about 900,000 are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.
All that this progressive, forward-thinking legislation seeks to do when enacted is to help public officials in curbing the manner in which people smoke, thereby resulting in less deaths. Despite this, it was not without opposition and understandably, the main challenger was no other than the Demerara Tobacco Company Limited (DEMTOCO), the main seller of tobacco products here. Soon after the passage of the bill, the company claimed among other things that the government’s decision will cause it to lose the $4 billion it pays in taxes to the Treasury, in addition to putting the livelihoods of small retailers in jeopardy.
On the surface, these arguments appear to be very alluring, but the truth be told, Guyana spends 10 per cent of its health budget tackling communicable and non-communicable diseases which amounts to about $4 billion.
This is money being used to fix these problems, some of which are caused by tobacco smoke. So in essence, the loss of money to the Treasury as DEMTOCO has claimed is not an actual loss; in fact, it could be considered a long-term gain for Guyana if it succeeds in limiting tobacco use among the citizenry.
This naturally would redound to less tobacco-related illnesses such as chronic bronchitis, heart diseases and cancer, which is one of the leading causes of death in Guyana. To address these and other tobacco- related problems, early action is needed without delay, and from interpretation of available data, the Tobacco Control Bill could not be a better step in the right direction.
According to the Global Youth Tobacco Survey, based on a survey done here in 2015 in which 1000 students aged 13 to 15 responded, some 14 per cent used tobacco products, 11 per cent smoked tobacco and nine per cent are currently using electronic cigarettes.
It also found that seven in 10 smokers tried to quit smoking and a similar ratio wanted to quit smoking with immediate effect. The survey went on to state that among current cigarette smokers who bought cigarettes, 48 per cent were not prevented from buying them because of their age, and 56 per cent favoured a ban on smoking inside public spaces.
This important survey, points to the disturbing level of young smokers and the struggle of some to quit smoking, and by extension, provides significant justification as to why Parliament should not only pass the bill, but for the President to give his assent to it earliest.
The health of the nation must not be compromised by the amount of money a company pays in taxes, and to better understand this, the matter has to be examined on a broad perspective. Yes, DEMTOCO pays a hefty sum in taxes, but it is more important for Guyana to look past a short-term loss and focus on a long-term gain. The issue of persons losing their jobs vending as a result of the passage of the bill is a matter for argumentation purposes, since the tobacco industry is not the only legitimate place that provides jobs.
