By Elsie Appiah-Osei
Accra, May 31, GNA- Madam Joycelyn Quashie, a National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament for North Dayi, Saturday urged the Government to strengthen regulations on tobacco and nicotine products, particularly those targeting the youth.
That would help to protect Ghana’s youth from the manipulative tactics of the tobacco industry, she told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day.
“Behind the shiny packaging, the attractive flavours, and the sleek advertisements lies a multi-billion-dollar industry that is unrelenting in its efforts to recruit the next generation of consumers – our children, our youth,” Madam Quarshie said.
“Tobacco is not just killing our people – it is robbing families of income, robbing the nation of productivity, and robbing our youth of their future.”
“We must not allow the profits of a few to outweigh the health and wellbeing of the many.”
The World No Tobacco Day is a global initiative by the World Health Organisation to raise awareness about the dangers of tobacco and nicotine use.
It is observed annually on May 31, with the goal of reducing tobacco consumption and promoting public health.
The theme for 2025 is “Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products.”
This focuses on revealing the misleading techniques employed by the tobacco and nicotine industries to make their products appealing, especially to young people.
The North Dayi MP said statitically, a single cigarette contained over 4,800 chemicals, 69 of which were known to cause cancer.
“Secondhand smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals, including 70 cancer-causing chemicals,” she said.
Madam Quarshie called for the full implementation and enforcement of the Public Health Act (Act 851), which, among other things, stipulates measures to regulate activities that impact public health like food and drug production, tobacco use, and environmental sanitation, while providing the penalties for non-compliance.
She urged the authorities to strengthen regulations on the marketing and sale of new tobacco and nicotine products; increase public education on the dangers of their use, and expand rehabilitation centers to support those affected by tobacco-related diseases.
“My calling underscores the importance of protecting public health and promoting a tobacco-free future for Ghana’s youth,” the MP said.
GNA
Agnes Boye-Doe