?Health Minister Jerry Narace has called on locals to back legislation that will give Government new powers to curb the use of tobacco in Trinidad and Tobago. "I call on every medical professional, every doctor, every cancer (victim), every individual...to write a letter in support (of the Tobacco Control Bill 2009). Make a statement. Say something in terms of supporting the tobacco control legislation," Narace appealed. He was delivering the opening remarks at the fourth annual local breast cancer conference, which was hosted last Friday by the Trinidad and Tobago Cancer Society at the Marriott Courtyard Hotel along the Audrey Jeffers Highway near Invaders Bay. Narace said that the benefits for the population's health from tobacco control were well-recognised and vastly supported among health professionals around the world.
According to Information from the Ministry of Health, the sale of cigarettes was on the increase despite increased taxes on the product. On average, cigarette production had an estimated increased of 22 per cent for each year between 1995 and 1999. According to 2005 statistics from the Pan American Health Organisation, Trinidad and Tobago accounted for 21 per cent of smokers in the Caribbean, the highest in the region. The Tobacco Control Bill aimed to prevent children's use of tobacco use, protect individuals from exposure to tobacco smoke, prohibit and restrict tobacco promotional practices and provide for other related matters.
"I know that in the company of doctors I do not need to advocate tobacco control or explain the causal relationships and other correlations between cancer and smoking and second hand smoke," Narace said. "The Tobacco Control Bill 2009 is by far one of the most important pieces of legislation we can ever pass in this country to improve the general health status of our country." In 2002, the cigarette habit was responsible for approximately 30 per cent of all male and 15 per cent of all female medical deaths according to a joint publication from Prabhat Jha and George Alleyne that was entitled Tobacco Control in Trinidad and Tobago.
"The Government believes that this Bill provides an effective legal framework upon which to base our strategic plans to address the harm caused by tobacco products both for our citizens today and the generations to come," Narace said. "We are employing public policy initiatives in this fight. One such initiative is the Tobacco Bill, which was recently re-introduced in the Senate and will be shortly debated." The St James Cardiovascular Survey, which was a ten-year community survey that sought to identify predictive risk factors for cardiovascular events, showed that current smokers comprised 39.4 per cent men of African descent; 46.1 per cent of men of East Indian descent; 39.9 per cent men of mixed descent and 36.7 per cent men of European descent.