Through the proposed Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill, South Africa is actively working to combat tobacco use, including e-cigarettes and hookahs which are also known as “hubbly bubblies.”
This is according to the Deputy Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, who was delivering a keynote address to commemorate World No Tobacco Day in Midrand, Johannesburg.
“We want to make sure we regulate these upcoming products because currently they’re not covered. That is, e-cigarettes and the ‘hubbly bubblies.’ We want to make sure they are properly regulated because currently they are everywhere,” Phaahla said on Monday.
He informed the attendees that the proposed Bill seeks to implement significant changes to tobacco regulation.
These changes include the introduction of plain packaging, the expansion of smoke-free zones, stricter controls on emerging tobacco products, regulation of e-cigarettes, and enhanced support for tobacco cessation programs.
“Every life lost through tobacco is preventable. We don’t need it in our bodies. Nicotine doesn’t add any value,” Phaahla stressed, calling for a united effort from government, civil society, and media to combat tobacco use.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), tobacco use remains one of the leading causes of preventable death and disease globally, responsible for over eight million deaths each year, including more than one million from second-hand smoke exposure.
World No Tobacco Day is an annual event that raises awareness about the dangers of tobacco use, the practices of tobacco companies, and the efforts of the WHO to combat the tobacco epidemic.
READ | Deputy Minister to lead World No Tobacco Day discussions
It also encourages people worldwide to assert their right to health and healthy living, while advocating for the protection of future generations.
Phaahla stated that the Cessation Support Bill, also known as the Tobacco Control Bill, aims to enhance support for users trying to quit and improve their health.
However, the Deputy Minister underscored the tobacco industry’s aggressive attempts to undermine the legislation.
He noted that some individuals sponsored by the industry, have actively opposed the Bill during public hearings.
“Of course, throughout the public hearings, the industry has been spending huge amounts of money, you know, sponsoring people to go to the public hearings. And that’s how powerful this industry can be.
“They’ve also had their own special people who were some of the medical practitioners who have been sponsored to do this, to promote these products as a form of harm reduction, and that our Bill is ignoring these products as part of the package of harm reduction. But we already know that’s not the case.”
The bill is expected to proceed to Parliament, with government confident that it will pass despite industry pushback.
“We want to assure you that we value your contribution and are confident that this bill will ultimately pass in Parliament despite the efforts of the industry to mobilise even very passionate Members of Parliament …at every turn to find the loophole.”
Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister has thrown his weight behind the Chairperson of the Health Portfolio Committee, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo.
“We have a very strong team … led by the Chairperson of the committee, a former colleague in the previous administration, as the Deputy Minister, now chair of the committee. Dr Dhlomo is leading from the front for the team there. So, we’re quite confident that we’ll succeed.” – SAnews.gov.za
