The Minister of Health, Dr. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu has praised Ghana for making significant improvements in the control of tobacco use.
According to him, this was made possible following the introduction of the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products which came into force in January 2022.
In a statement sighted by Thinknewsonline.com, the Health Minister said "Ghana has made significant improvements in the control of tobacco use. This includes the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products which came into force in January 2022, inclusion of tobacco specific provisions in the Public Health Act, 2012, passage of the Tobacco"
"Control Regulations, 2016 (L.I 2247), the introduction of graphic health warnings, continuous enforcement of tobacco control measures and the recently launched Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) 2030 project.The selection of Ghana as the Phase Three 2030 project country of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) means the country will among others receive financial and technical support to develop and implement a comprehensive national tobacco control strategy"
The Health Minister reiterated that the WNTD 2022 campaign calls on government and policymakers to step up legislation, including implementing and strengthening existing schemes to make producers responsible for the environmental and economic costs of dealing with tobacco waste products.
"As a nation, we remain committed to close the gaps in tobacco control and are resolute that our vision of a tobacco free society is closer than ever"
Thinknewsonline.com has gathered that globally, tobacco kills more than 8 million people annually. More than 7 million of these deaths are from direct tobacco use and around 1.2 million are due to non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.
Tobacco is harmful, not only to humans but to animals, plants and nature as a whole. The released of noxious chemicals present in tobacco smoke adds to atmospheric pollution.
Globally smoking is known to emit nearly 2.6 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide and 5.2 billion kilograms of methane into the atmosphere each year.
The Ministry of Health says it will together with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), World Health Organisation (WHO), Ghana Health Service (GHS) and civil society organisations join in the global campaign against the many ways in which tobacco threatens the environment we live in.
The theme for this year's celebration is "Tobacco: Threat to our Environment"
Below is a copy of the release:
Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith