I have just watched a thought provoking tv programme about the sales and promotion of cigarettes in Africa. (BBC 2)
Now the companies in the west know what damage cigarettes can do to health the promotion of smoking to new markets is totally imoral.
In Malawi it showed music events for young people being sponsored by cigarette companies. It showed single cigarettes being sold to children.
Why do these companies think it is acceptable to do things abroad they wouldnt do at home?
Smoking is a big killer in the west and will become so in Africa. The health service is very poorly equipt to deal with the amounts of chronic illness that will be caused in the future.
In the UK we are trying to encourage people to give up smoking. I think it is totallu unacceptable to seek new markets in Africa.
I am always very shocked when I see very poor people in Africa smoking.
Of course many of them will be able to read the warnings on the packets........ and if they didnt go to school they wont have had health education.
I think there should be NO cigarette advertising. I think there should be NO sales of cigarettes to under 18 and not any split packets.
Next time I go to my Gambian village I am going to take some health awareness stuff about the dangers of smoking.
At least then people are making an informed choice.
How can people sleep at night that earn shares in such companies?
During the later part of the First Republic (i.e. mid 80s to the early 90s I believe) cigarette ads were prohibited in the Gambia. However, the military govt. overturned that sometime in late 1994 to early 1995... In the case of the Gambia, the military govt. felt the urgent need for the revenue from the sale and ads of cigarettes more important than the long term negative effects on health and health services. And there are no laws (at least not that I know of) that protects minors from being sold cigarettes or targeted by cigarette ads. Ridiculous, ain't it?
i watched that programme, i do wish Duncan Ballayntyne had been stronger on his approach to the UK/USA company BAT, I wished he would lobby the governments/MEP. I did wonder what he did for the young men in malawi who sold cigarettes for a living and could not read, he is in a position to help them set up some other small business and get and education.
You will be doing the most needed service with the move to discourage cigarette use in Gambia. Not just the smoke, the smell is something else. Sorry to those addicts.
quote:Originally posted by kayjatta ...........cigarette ads were prohibited in the Gambia.
Kay. i think this is still applicable. i have not seen any cigarettee adverts/billboards around recently. and certainly not on TV or radio.
recently i have been seeing huge red stickers of 18 around shops and on some cigarette packets. perhaps there is some awareness campaign already on.
During Dominic Mendy's time as finance sec. cigarette ads were allowed again after debating in the National Assembly. Since then I have not heard about its prohibition again. But you may be right, Njucks...
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Posted - 01 Jul 2008 : 23:27:39
