ON Thursday, Guyana and some other countries observed ‘World No Tobacco Day’ and to coincide with the occasion, the World Health Organisation released the findings of its latest report on tobacco use. The report while acknowledging a marked decline since 2000, both globally and in the Region of the Americas, show the gains are insufficient to meet global targets aimed at protecting people from death and suffering from cardiovascular and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

The WHO report also revealed that currently, over a third of countries in the Americas are not implementing a single tobacco control measure. Guyana last year passed its Tobacco Control Bill and is currently putting in place the necessary mechanisms to enforce the full law. Also, it was fitting that our country was recognised by the WHO for its efforts with the conferment of the World No Tobacco Day Award.

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 put a bigger dent in the tobacco industry. 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.
President David Granger was correct when he encouraged those gathered at the opening of the Health Expo 2018, Wednesday evening at the Sophia Complex to desist from excessive alcohol, smoking and addiction to fast foods. He reiterated that these were contributing to the rise in Non-Communicable Diseases (NDCs) such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, obesity and high blood pressure.

Despite this, it was not without opposition when Government passed the Tobacco Control Bill. There were claims that the government’s decision will cause it to lose billions 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 her health budget tackling communicable and non-communicable diseases which amounts to about $4 billion. These are monies used to fix these problems, some of which are caused by tobacco smoke.

So in essence, the loss of money to the Treasury as 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 in the past 12 months 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 despite 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. 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, tobacco companies pay hefty sums in taxes but it is more important for Guyana to look pass a short-term loss and focus on a long-term gain.