May 2023
Misleading tobacco industry stealth advertising misrepresents Swedish e-cigarette model
With the absence of regulations in South Africa, e-cigarette use is increasing among youths, perpetuating nicotine addiction and leading some of them to start smoking traditional cigarettes. here have recently been misleading calls for South Africa to adopt the Swedish model of regulating e-cigarettes, a model positioned by tobacco-industry supported organisations as making alternative products widely available,...
Seeds of change in Kenya as farmers lead way on tobacco-free farms
The initiative, supported by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), in cooperation with the Kenyan authorities, is helping to “move the needle” on ending the global tobacco epidemic, said WHO. Kenya is the first country to participate in the scheme, which offers training to tobacco farmers so that they...
Launch of tobacco-free farms in Kenya
Nairobi - Hundreds of farmers in Migori County, Kenya will break free from risky tobacco farming and transition to producing more sustainable crops, through the Tobacco-Free Farms Project being launched today. Tobacco-Free Farms project is a joint initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Food Programme, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the...
Say no to tobacco farming
Farmer Reginald Omulo walks between rows of healthy maize and beans, stopping to admire what he has planted. Like many farmers in Uriri Sub-county, Migori County, Kenya, Omulo used to cultivate tobacco. But no longer. He is now passionate about his family’s shift to grow alternative crops, confident that their hard work will be the foundation for...
Nigeria May Push Tobacco Tax to 50% to Control Smoking
The Federal Government has confirmed plans to increase excise tax on tobacco products from 30 per cent ad-valorem to 50 per cent as part of measures to control tobacco smoking in the country. Speaking on Tuesday, Dr Mangai Malau, the Head of the Tobacco Control Unit, Noncommunicable Disease Division, Federal Ministry of Health, said the...
New smoking tax hitting South Africa next month
From 1 June 2023, nicotine-substitute solutions, including vaping products, will be included in the tax net with a flat excise duty rate of R2.90/ml. Excise duty on vaping tobacco products has been in the pipeline for a while – the tax was first announced in finance minister Enoch Godongwana’s 2022 budget speech. The South African Revenue...
Cigarette butts leak deadly toxins into the environment
Scientists are therefore calling for these filters to be banned entirely. On the beach or cityscape, cigarette butts can be seen everywhere. An estimated 4.5 trillion filter-only cigarettes are smoked and butted annually. More than half of these butts—65%—are not discarded in a trash can or ashtray. Unused cigarette filters contain 4,000 compounds, many of...
Australia to ban recreational vaping in major crackdown on e-cigarettes as teen use soars
The Australian government will ban e-cigarettes through a heavy set of controls on imports and packaging to discourage vaping, especially among teens, under its biggest smoking reforms in more than a decade. Australian Health Minister Mark Butler on Tuesday said vaping has become a top behavioral issue in high schools and a growing problem in elementary schools...
