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To the Prime Minister of Barbados with utmost respect:
time to act is NOW
<< Press Cuttings Home
 By Wayne Hunte
Project Officer –Tobacco Control
Caribbean Graphic Health Warning Project (Barbados)
Funded by the Bloomberg Global Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use.
The former US Surgeon General Richard Carmona declared
that the debate is over. The science is clear. Secondhand smoke is not a
mere annoyance but a serious health hazards. With these words ricocheting in
my mind I am quite surprised with the Hon. Prime Minister David Thompson’s
call for wide consultation and horse trading on matters relating to tobacco
control in Barbados particularly outlawing smoking in public places. The
people are speaking out; they are calling for a smokefree society and
there were several promises void of definitive actions. Who is listening to
the call?
Recent findings from the Barbados Global Youth Tobacco
Survey conducted by the National Council on Substance Abuse showed that
74.8% of our young people between the ages of 13 to 15 think smoking should
be banned from public places and one local newspaper poll on the matter
revealed that 90% of the respondents support the no smoking ban. Even
regular smokers will welcome tobacco cessation programmes to help them quit
smoking. Every major survey ever done shows that a large majority of smokers
want to quit and this fact is quite evident in Barbados.
Just ask the smokers!
Dr Tony Gale started the call when he initiated the
first tobacco control programme through the Barbados Cancer Society back in
1982 and he gained international recognition for his efforts of reducing the
smoking prevalence in Barbados to one of the lowest in the world.
Let us not be side tracked by a relatively low smoking
prevalence and bury our heads in the sand thereby exposing our
vulnerabilities. The government is obligated to offer comprehensive
protection from tobacco smoke exposure to all citizens by mandating
legislation to eliminate tobacco smoking from all workplaces, public
transport and indoor public places as well as other spaces such as outdoor
recreational faculties.
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The implementation of tobacco
controls should not be viewed as a conflict between smokers and
non-smokers but as providing protection against the victor of the
tobacco epidemic. All epidemics have a vector that is responsible for
the spread of disease and death. In this case the vector is neither a
virus nor a bacterium but an industry and its marketing strategies
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This is the only acceptable bottom-line which the
World Health Organisation recommends. The scientific evidence on the damaging
consequences of secondhand smoke is crystal clear. Why call for talks when
action is required? “We have all the proven means to reduce tobacco use but
policy makers are not yet applying these interventions” (Michael Bloomberg,
Mayor of New York City)
Democratically elected Governments were elected to lead and
to enact and enforce laws. Laws are essentially designed to protect people and
maintain order.Tobacco is a global agent of disease, disability and death.
The global tobacco epidemic is growing and projected to kill 179 million people
by 2030 and the majority of these deaths will occur in developing countries like
Barbados. Why, isn’t public health protection needed? Let’s not forget the sad
lessons from the AIDS Epidemic.
According to Dr Margaret Chan – the WHO Director General
said, “Reversing this entirely preventable epidemic must now rank as a top
priority for public health and political leaders in every country of the world.”
It is unthinkable that Barbados who has placed pride in the health of the nation
as the wealth of the nation will not take proactive action to protect her
citizens from the global agent of disease, disability and death. Isn’t
health pivotal for sustainable development?
Barbados has dutifully signed and ratified the WHO Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control which is a public health treaty designed to
counter the growing tobacco epidemic. As such the treaty is binding by
international law upon the parties (countries that ratified) to it and must be
performed by them in good faith.
Therefore, if Barbados does not enact smokefree laws to
protect people from secondhand smoke, the country that is the Government will be
in breach of the Convention and if the current taxation measures are reversed at
the next Budget the Government will be in breach of the Convention. Instead of
making backward steps, let’s move the process forward from ratification to
implementation to enforcement.
The public that is John Public or Joe the Plumber should be
aware of the world’s transnational tobacco companies who use their economic and
political clout to maintain environments that encourage tobacco consumption
while opposing taxation and other regulations primarily through interfering with
the development of tobacco control legislations.
They often argue that tobacco control will harm the national
economy and if smoking is reduced or eliminated (their greatest fear), the
country will suffer substantial job losses, income fall outs, tax revenues from
tobacco will disappear and international trade will suffer.
Image source: Action on Smoking & Health, New Zealand
Nevertheless, it is an economical myth to think that the
implementation of particularly smoking-free environments will result in lost
business to restaurants and bars and affects the jobs of people. Various studies
showed that smoking bans have not had a negative impact on business or the
economy.
Dr Margaret Chan advised that the cure for this devastating
epidemic is dependent not on medicines or vaccines, but on the concerted actions
of government and civil society. Therefore, civil society welcomes the
opportunity to work with the Government to develop an agenda for action
to facilitate comprehensive tobacco control policies, laws and their
implementation.
Yes, Mr Prime Minister, we appreciated the opportunity to be
involved in the decision making process on a matter of national importance. The
health of the nation is the wealth of the nation, so let’s protect it by
reducing avoidable premature deaths due to tobacco.
Published Barbados Advocate Sunday
March 15, 2009
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