Cabinet has given its approval for a tobacco control bill to be submitted to the National Assembly as government moves to bring an end to smoking in public places.
Minister of Governance Raphael Trotman told a post-Cabinet press briefing yesterday that the bill will provide for the adoption and implementation of tobacco control policies in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Con-vention on Tobacco Control.
He said the Tobacco Control Bill 2015 aims at protecting persons and future generations from the “devastating effects of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke.”
At a policy level, Trotman noted, Cabinet has given approval for the bill to be considered by the National Assembly but it is currently being reviewed by a Cabinet sub-committee that vets all bills before submission to the National Assembly.
In June, Minister of Public Health Dr. George Norton had announced that the bill will see a ban on smoking in public places and controls on tobacco advertisement. Norton had also spoken of specialised areas for smokers and the curbing of smoking in schools.
