South Africa: Illegal cigarette consignment to be destroyed
Government’s renewed vigour to eliminate illegal tobacco imports and exports will be demonstrated on Friday when a multi-department operation will see 12 million cigarettes being destroyed. The consignment, which has a R18 million market value will be destroyed at the State Warehouse, at no.9 FW de Klerk Boulevard, Cape Town Foreshore at 8am. In a statement,...
Zambia: CSOs ask Parley to table tobacco control bill
Zambia Consortium on Tobacco Control calls for the tabling of tobacco control legislation (the Tobacco Control Bill) before Parliament. Zambia Media Network Against Tobacco Chairperson Paxina Phiri said the Tobacco Control Bill is in essence a domestication of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) to which Zambia became a signatory on 23 May...
Study: Only 45% smokeless tobacco factories pay taxes in Bangladesh
91% of manufacturers produce SLT products manually in small, unmarked factories or houses A significant number of smokeless tobacco (SLT) manufacturers of Bangladesh have managed to avoid the government's tax net, according to a study by the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK). The study reveals that among the 483 SLT factories in the country, only 218...
How the tobacco industry seized on the pandemic as an opportunity
To mark World Health Day, Croakey’s Melissa Sweet digs into a report investigating tobacco industry efforts to undermine public health regulations globally. Many of the report’s themes are relevant for other industries that harm health; its section on the “revolving door” between industry and government/policy makers brings to mind the fossil fuels sector. In the first...
Saudi Arabia bans selling tobacco to children and smoking around them
Saudi Arabia banned the sale of tobacco to teenagers under 18 years old and smoking in areas where children are present, state media reported this week. Importing and selling toys or candy made to look like cigarettes, or bear images that encourage children to smoke, has also been banned by law. Saudi parents welcomed the move,...
Jamaica: Proposals made for Tobacco Bill to limit public sector/business links
PROPOSED limitations on interaction between public bodies/personnel and tobacco products companies raised temperatures at yesterday's meeting of a joint select committee reviewing smoking regulations. The limitations included in Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) states: “In setting and implementing their public health policies with respect to tobacco...
