Public Health Minister George Norton says the long anticipated Tobacco Control Bill, which will see a ban on smoking in public places and controls on tobacco advertisement, will be placed on the order paper within a matter of weeks once it has gained the approval of experts.
In an interview with the Stabroek News, Norton spoke of specialised smoking areas for smokers and the curbing of smoking in schools. The minster stated that he is prepared to work with the Ministry of Education to fight against the exposure of children to cigarettes and smoking among teenagers.
The Tobacco Control Bill fulfils requirements laid out in the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which Guyana ratified in 2005.
The legislation is intended to protect present and future generations from the “devastating harms” of tobacco use,