The Upper East Regional Minister, Hon. Stephen Yakubu has appealed to traditional authorities to discourage the use of tobacco in cultural practices in the Region.
He said tobacco usage was very common in some traditional customs, especially the payment of dowries, and called for alternative substitute, so that the fight against tobacco usage would be won in the Region.
The Honourable Minister said this in a speech read on his behalf at the launch of the World No Tobacco Day celebration held in Bolgatanga on the theme: “Tobacco: Threat to the environment.”
He urged traditional authorities in the Region to revise their practices and stressed the need for Traditional Councils to discuss the issue, and initiate some by-laws to eliminate the practice.
He said tobacco had negative impact on the environment as about 3.4 million hectares of land globally was destroyed to grow tobacco each year, which had negative impact on the environment.
He said according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 4.5 trillion cigarette butts were not properly disposed off every year across the globe, which generated 1.69 million pounds of toxic waste and released thousands of chemicals into the air, water and soil.
In a speech delivered on behalf of Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, the Minister of Health, the Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Emmanuel Kofi Dzotsi said more than 6,700 Ghanaians died every year from tobacco-related illnesses.
Out of the number, he said 66 percent were persons under 70 years, adding that about 18 percent of Ghanaian lives were lost to tobacco use due to exposure to second hand smoke.
He said to fight the cancer, the government had taken giant steps in tobacco control, including the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco products which came into affect in January 2022, inclusion of tobacco specific provisions in the Public Health Act 2012.
He stated that the passage of the Tobacco Control Regulation, 2016 (L.I.2247), the introduction of graphic health warning, continuous enforcement of tobacco control measures and the recently launched Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) 2030 Project were all measures taken by government to control tobacco usage.