DAR ES SALAAM, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Anti-tobacco campaigners on Wednesday appealed to leaders in Tanzania to show political will in ensuring that harmful use of tobacco was controlled.
The appeal was made as the east African nation planned to table a Bill in Parliament in September aimed at controlling harmful use of tobacco.
Tanzania ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, under the World Health Organization (WHO) but the country has not yet enacted a legislation that would control tobacco use.
Lutgard Kagaruki, the Executive Director of Tanzania Tobacco Control Forum (TTCF), said it was high time tougher laws were enacted to counter the power of investors who make huge profits from the tobacco business.
"The new legislation should ensure that harmful tobacco use is controlled to save people from diseases caused by smoking such as cancer," the anti-tobacco campaigner told journalists in Dar es Salaam.
Kagaruki said tobacco investors were very powerful financially, adding: "They have the power to lobby, advertise and influence."
She said because of this there was need to have a committed leadership that would help push for a law that would eventually put this power in check.
She said tobacco was thought to be good business that flourished in Tanzania because of the belief that tobacco was an economically important crop and therefore putting tough control policies would lead to loss of revenue by the government.
"But statistics on the negative impact of tobacco use mean that there is need for an urgent change in the way the government looks at things," said Kagaruki.
Yussuf Saloojee, former Executive Director of South Africa's National Council against Smoking, called for the need to raise taxes much higher for the tobacco industry.
"There are countries such as Australia which have succeeded in controlling the hazards caused by tobacco by raising taxes," said Saloojee.
The passing of a tough law, coupled with hiking taxes imposed on tobacco business, would force tobacco companies to raise the cost of cigarettes, he said.
"This would finally influence the behavior of the end users, by discouraging harmful consumption-especially the youth," said Saloojee.
Sarah Maongezi, from the Department of Non-Communicable Diseases in the Ministry of Health, said the government was currently taking measures to control tobacco use, including working to ensure the bill is tabled in the coming parliament.
Statistics from the Ministry of Health show that 14.1 percent of all people in Tanzania smoke tobacco daily risking to getting diseases such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and chronic respiratory complications. Enditem
