Uganda: Country to Ban Smoking At Home, But Not Streets
Jul 24, 2007, 10:54
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I have neither felt the urge to light up nor understood the pleasure others derive from doing so. The theme of this year's World No Tobacco Day, 'Tobacco smoke-free environment', together with the stepping up of a campaign worldwide to control smoking, offers hope. Hope, not just for a healthier and fresher environment, but also of reducing an enormous health hazard. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), smoking is the second major cause of death. Every eight seconds, someone dies as a result of tobacco use; and smoking is responsible for one in 10 adult deaths. Uganda seems serious in implementing anti-smoking measures. There is already a law against smoking in public places although it is only half-heartedly applied. Soon, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control signed in March 2004 will bind Uganda. This means the government will be committed to compel manufacturers to label cigarettes with a larger, clearer warning that tobacco kills. They will also be prevented from advertising tobacco products and contribute to the rehabilitation of addicted smokers. The government will also have to protect non-smokers from exposure to smoke in public places, and provide viable alternatives to tobacco growers. WHO provides a compensation grant for tobacco farmers. Hopefully, the land the growers have been using will still be healthy and fertile, and not poisoned. These measures are expected to be completed in the next six months. Interestingly, the anti-tobacco campaign comes under the mental health section of the Ministry of Health because, as the coordinator, Dr Sheila Ndyanabangi, says: "Smoking is a problem of the mind. The basic treatment is will and counselling." The worst cases are admitted to Butabika Hospital, which deals with mental cases, at the rate of 10-15 a week. Whereas developed countries recommend nicotine replacement therapy products to smokers who wish to quit the habit, Uganda is not ready to waste money on importing such, which Ndyanabangi says are not 100 per cent effective. Instead, the Health ministry publishes useful tips to smokers who want to stop. Alternative and herbal medicine practitioners also have their prescriptions. The tips are the usual: Decide you want to stop, gradually reduce the number of cigarettes a day, avoid other smokers, be hygienic, eat chewing gum, take plenty of fruits, vegetables and juice to flush out the nicotine. Avoid coffee and highly seasoned food, exercise every day and eat regularly. There is also advice on rhythmic breathing, seating posture and positive thinking whenever you feel the craving for smoke. The herbal doctor prescribes medicines that help contain the urge to smoke. In Uganda, herbal medicine is becoming more respectable. But in the minds of some people, it is still associated with witchdoctors who also have good knowledge of its secrets. But for many others, it is a cheap, available and effective alternative to pharmaceuticals. Among medicines prescribed are guavas, which neutralise nicotine and hogweed or boerhavia diffusa. Boil a handful of dried leaves in water and take the concoction twice a day. The only place smoking will be allowed is in the streets. Very few Ugandans smoke. It is mainly a preoccupation of soldiers and people with low-paying jobs. It is looked down upon by most of the population as distasteful, and no major tobacco company operates in the East African country. The anti-smoking campaign is an ambitious one. Ndyanabangi says Uganda intends to extend the drive to private homes eventually to protect children from second-hand smoking because it is not risk-free although she does not state how this will be done. According to studies, second-hand smoke contains a higher concentration of toxic and carcinogenic (cancer-causing) substances. Campaign promoters say nowhere is safe when a smoker is around. Children are particularly vulnerable and may suffer sudden infant death syndrome, acute respiratory infections and severe asthma. The chemical components are enough to frighten off anyone - there are more than 4,000 and 60 of them are known to cause cancer. They include cyanide, benzene, formaldehyde, methanol, acetylene and ammonia. Besides, there is no safe way to smoke. Light and mild brands do not necessarily mean a reduced health risk. Menthol cigarettes could be even more dangerous because they decrease the cough reflex. Chewing tobacco is more dangerous because it increases the risk of mouth and throat cancer. Many of us know someone who will tell you that the link between smoking and cancer has never been proved; that they know someone who is more than 80 years old and smokes a packet a day. Maybe. One thing is clear though. Most of us feel well when we are out of the city where the air is polluted. This is the good a smoke-free city and country would do to the environment. But does this mean that the Government has the right to enter our homes and implement measures that will prevent parents from smoking? Perhaps not, but public health authorities have a duty to ensure that parents are aware of the danger they expose their children to when they smoke. For smokers, their days are numbered and they should remember that majority of people do not smoke and find second-hand smoke unpleasant, yet they often have no choice but to breathe it in.
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