Lara Adejoro
With the World Health Organisation revealing that more than eight million people die from tobacco use every year and estimates that more than eight million die prematurely yearly from tobacco use, medical experts and civil society organisations have called on the Federal Government to fully implement the graphic health warnings on tobacco packaging and labelling.
According to them, this is an effective way to spread awareness about the risks associated with tobacco products, and reduce consumption, and it would be helpful for those with limited literacy skills.
PUNCH Healthwise reports that in Nigeria, while there are some graphic warnings on cigarettes, there are none for other tobacco products like shisha, snuff, and snus, among others.
Meanwhile, the WHO mandated the parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to put in place policies on tobacco product packaging to provide health warnings concerning the harmful effects of tobacco use.
While the 2024 yearly graphic warnings will begin in June 2024, experts and CSOs urge the FG to implement graphic health warnings on 60 per cent of display areas of tobacco products, including shisha and others.
Speaking with PUNCH Healwhwise, a public health consultant at the University of Ibadan, Dr Francis Fagbule noted that labelling and graphic health warnings on tobacco products are meant to be according to the law.
He said findings have shown that graphic health warnings have helped people quit taking tobacco products.
The physician added, “The law has stated clearly that we should have not the text but also pictures, and there have been pictures that have been designed to be placed as a form of reminder to people, especially those who consume these products. I noticed this started a few years ago but not all companies are doing that.
“The same is supposed to be for shisha and all other tobacco products. But as you may have also found out, compliance with this has been quite poor, which is why the enforcement agents and stakeholders must spring into action to ensure that the law is enforced, particularly on all the other tobacco products.
“What we have now is some compliance with cigarette packages, but it should be across all tobacco products. It is a form of deterrence. Studies have shown that when we have graphic health warnings, they deter people who don’t use tobacco from starting, it reinforces the willingness to quit for people who are already taking the products.
A former Chairman of the Association of Private Medical Practitioners of Nigeria, Dr Tunji Akintade said every consumable should be regularised under a strict administration law.
He explained, “All these things are drugs, as far as I’m concerned because it alters your physiology from one state to the other. Snuff, shisha, marijuana, or Colorado must be regulated. Even the adverts on social media for these products should be regularised.
“I advocate that the government’s regulatory body look at the contents of these things and implement the graphic health warnings and labelling on them.”
The Executive Director of Renevlyn Development Initiative, Philip Jakpor, said Nigeria should adhere strictly to WHO’s recommendations to discourage young people who are impressionable from taking up the habit.
He said, “Smoking starts by seeing those beautiful packs and then wanting to experiment. So, tobacco packs should have pictures and health warnings to discourage smokers. For instance, we can have aborted babies, diseased lungs, and mouth cancer, among others, even though every country is free to come up with its warnings.
“If you go to the market today, most of the cigarette packs have pictorials and health warnings that cover at least 50 per cent of the front, side, and back. But, it is not meant to be only on cigarettes. Unfortunately, if you go to the Nigerian markets, other tobacco products like shisha and snus don’t have the warnings.
“There is no full compliance to the graphic health warnings yet. The Ministry of Health is supposed to drive it, and I think has been driving it. The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission carries out enforcement exercises but it’s not nationwide, simultaneous.
A study carried out by an international non-profit organisation, Development Gateway, showed that shisha smoking is growing alarmingly among students in high school and tertiary education.
The study titled, ‘The factors associated with shisha use in Nigeria’ revealed that 3.6 per cent of current shisha smokers were also current cigarette smokers, and 0.2 per cent of those who were both current shisha and cigarette smokers reported always or sometimes combining shisha smoking with cigarettes.
The organisation recommended that there should be “Restrictions on flavours, awareness raising on the harmful health effects of shisha, and providing interventions to help people stop smoking shisha.
“Compliance monitoring and enforcement of the existing tobacco control laws need to be strengthened, particularly in smoke-free environments in indoor and outdoor places, health (both written and graphical) warnings in English on shisha products including the pots, and application of the specific tax, and sale of shisha to minors.”
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