Tuesday February 9th, 2010
- Last update:10 hours 55 min ago
Narace wants citizens support for Tobacco Bill
Published: 1 Nov 2009
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.
Narace, I applaud your
Narace, I applaud your enthusiasm for appealing for support for the anti-smoking legislation, from the public and all medical professionals. I would also like to see you appealing to your boss and these same people to support the campaign against building aluminium smelters in our little corner of the universe. We should ban aluminium smelters with the same vigour we ban smoking in public places. This would save many lives and reduce suffering from the cancers and pulmonary diseases associated with aluminium smelting.
Minister Narace, how can the
Minister Narace, how can the online community support something they have not read? Where can we find the bill online? Folks have been writing here about their views of the bill, so I presume they've read it. Perhaps it was printed verbatim in the local press, but I can't find it online. It's supposed to be on Parliament's website at the following link, but it's not there (only the first version - the revised draft is yet to be posted): http://www.ttparliament.org/publications.php?mid=28&alpha=T&activetab=1&...
So can anyone tell me where the online community can find the bill? Surely, the Minister doesn't expect folks to express support based on the short, incomplete stories published in the press so far, nor collect printouts of the bill in person from some government office in Port of Spain.
If it isn't online, can someone tell the Minister he's pi**ing in the wind?
Waste of time and energy Why
Waste of time and energy
Why isn't more time and energy put into solving the efficiency and management problems at our hospitals?
Though the statistics quoted here seem far too extravagant (and some just dont seem to add up), i'm willing to bet money that a major contributing factor in most deaths is poor or lack of treatment in our hospitals.
Chasing tobacco and tobacco use is nothing more than a huge push for political points in any case.
What about passing and enforcing legislation to prevent pollution of our air and water ways?!
Diabetes is also a huge problem , I don't see anyone passing a sugar and soft drink bill! or a bill to regulate pesticides and chemicals in our produce!!
I do not support this bill, it is a waste of our time and energy.
Organizations like the
Organizations like the American Cancer Society, ASH, Tobacco Free Kids, etc., have become nothing but Perception Management firms. They are paid to create "truth". Created truth is controllable. PM uses select information involving falsehood and deception. Really smoke and mirrors to get people to believe what they want the "truth" to be. Not to be confused with public diplomacy, Perception Management as a rule uses deception to influence emotions to an end. The difference between real and perception is like a stick of dynamite and the A-bomb. Wars can be created using Perception Management! Everyone, really, has seen PM in practice, and small business owners are experiencing this with legislation against their rights. It requires absolutely no courage to support a popular position, even if completely wrong or illegal. This is a very dangerous road the public is taking in regard to enacting smoking bans!
harisinghji@yahoo.com HARI
harisinghji@yahoo.com
HARI SINGH
VANCOUVER, V6R 3L3
BRITISH COLUMBIA CANADA
The minister must be commended for appealing for support in the Tobacco Bill. One thing the minister must have in the bill is to prevent the Tobacco Companies from advertising in any form. Another, it should prevent the producers from financing any events or promoting any events. It should prevent the tobacco companies from giving political donations to any party or parties.
Perhaps, the learned minister should copy the laws that are prevalent in Canada. He must get the law officers to enforced such laws that he is putting forward in parliament.
He, of course, cannot prevent those who are smokers from not smoking!!. Good luck Minister, you have my support.
Hari Singh
a trini to the bone in Canada.
Tobacco Control Bill:-
Tobacco Control Bill:- PRIORITY FIRST.
Mr. Narace, your call for support from all and sundry for this Bill to be passed in the House is a progressive step. However, if we are to give our support to a Bill, we need to know what we are supporting. You must realise that we do not follow blindly. One of our bloggers has already brought to our attention the fact that this necessary information on the Bill is missing from the Gov't web site; and on checking found that he was quite right. Why is the current information not on the web for us to review before we can make an educated decision to support this Bill or not?
Many of us do realise the dangers of tobacco use on our health and that of our loved ones, and would welcome legislation to help curb its use. But we would like to see programmes to help our smokers quit, and to prevent others from beginning, especially our younger generation.
Aluminium Smelter Plant:- However, we would like to bring to your attention the fact that there are more serious issues affecting or could affect our health that must be addressed before this Tobacco Control Bill could get us 'worked up' to give our support. One such issue is the Smelter Plant in the South. We do not want it! We have done our research and found that this is like the black plague and the kiss of death for our people, our country and our environment. It spells danger and uncertainty.
I support the call of "The Prince" in his commentary above.
I would like you, Mr. Minister of Health to consult with the Prime Minister, convince him that the country does not want this smelter plant on our soil; remind him that he takes his orders from the people of this country, and get his official agreement to cancel its operation, immediately, leaving no loop-holes to re-start again in this century, Make certain that this is not just another one of his flimsy 'promises', that have more holes than a sieve - a strainer - that we have become accoustomed to.
Update the web with the information required, and come back to us with the P.M. Cancellation Documentation, and we will consider your call for our support. Until these two requirements have been complied with, we will not pay any heed to your call. You see Mr. Narace, we wish to deal with the bigger problems first; and overturning the desire for this smelter plant on our soil is way at the top of our priority list. You do understand what a Priority List is all about, don't you Mr. Narace? It is the one you keep throwing in the garbage bin, and elects instead to operate by whims and fancies.
Our health is too important for the citizens of this country to leave it in your hands of our government who apparently do as they wish, without proper consultation with the people of this country, and attempts to covince us that we are of no significance, until and unless they need us to step forward and give our unquestionable support. Mr. Narace this is sure not a good thing.
Gardenia