Lag in tobacco law exposes millions to danger – CISLAC

Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) says failure to implement the National Tobacco Act passed in May 2015, could expose millions of Nigerians to tobacco-related diseases and death. Nearly six million people die annually from tobacco, but the toll could exceed eight million by 2030 –  and 80 percent of those deaths will occur in […]

Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) says failure to implement the National Tobacco Act passed in May 2015, could expose millions of Nigerians to tobacco-related diseases and death.
Nearly six million people die annually from tobacco, but the toll could exceed eight million by 2030 –  and 80 percent of those deaths will occur in developing countries, according to the Campaign for Tobacco -Free Kids.
“At the moment, what we are looking for is for government to put up regulations to operationalise the Act. We can now begin to really see the really strong points and weak points that we will work with the National Assembly to amend,” Okeke Anya, senior programme officer at CISLAC, told Daily Trust.
The Act provides for the minister of health to set up a national tobacco control committee, which will draw up regulations for a separate tobacco control unit with enforcement powers similar to a regulator like National Agency Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
But that implementation had stalled until ministers were appointed last month, and the ministry of health as yet has not begun considering the Tobacco Act.
Anya said the Act showed weaknesses in that it required the ministry to clear all regulations with the National Assembly, and stipulates a lag time of 18 months for tobacco companies to change their labelling to reflect graphic health warnings.
He said the law also compromises by making room for designated smoking areas instead of 100 percent smoke-free spaces, as recommended by the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control which Nigeria has signed up to.
It also allows adverts on conditions they target “consenting adults.”
Among its strengths, the Act requires manufacturers to place graphic health warning linking tobacco use with cancer, other diseases and death on at least 50 percent of display space. It also bans sale of single sticks of cigarettes or any pack less than 20 sticks or 30g packs for smokeless tobacco, and sales to minors or by minors.
The Global Adult Tobacco Survey has shown 5 percent of Nigerian adults are active smokers, but also raises concern about growing use among young people vulnerable to advertising and corporate influence, according to CISLAC.