The Presidential Commission on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) has lamented the weak implementation of the country’s tobacco control law and warned about e-cigarettes and hookahs.
In a statement on Saturday, Chair of the Commission, former Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy, noted that it had been five years since the Tobacco Control Act 2017 was enacted in Guyana.
“As we observe the 5th anniversary of the Tobacco Control Act 2017 and as we observe World No Tobacco Day 2022, the Presidential Commission is disappointed that there continues to be weak implementation of the law in Guyana. We also are disappointed that global efforts to reduce the risk of tobacco use continues unabated. The Commission during its 3rd and 4th meetings in March and May 2022 committed to intensify its effort to lead the fight against tobacco and tobacco products use in Guyana”, he stated.
He contended that big tobacco companies around the world, have come together to find new ways to introduce tobacco and tobacco products to a new generation of people.
One of their strategies, he said, is to add new tobacco products, such as e-cigarettes and hookah products, to bypass regulations that try to restrict use of traditional cigarettes and cigars. The NCD Com-mission highlighted the need for urgent regulations of these products in Guyana.
The statement said that “The use of both e-cigarettes and hookahs in Guyana started before the introduction of the Tobacco Control Act 2017 and has gained even more popularity since the passage of the Tobacco Control Act. The use of either the e-cigarette or hookah is not a healthier alternative to traditional tobacco products. The Tobacco Act 2017 recognises that the alternatives the Tobacco Industry has provided do not represent a healthier alternative to traditional tobacco products and, therefore, the regulations in the Tobacco Control Act 2017 equally applies to these products”.
The Commission said it is concerned that both e-cigarettes and hookah products are imported, distributed and sold in shops, stores and street-side vendor stalls. This, it said, is in contravention of the Packaging and Labelling Regulations (2018) which were passed under the Tobacco Control Act 2017. Hookah use, it said, has become an integral part of bars and restaurants around the country and hookah bars are now popping-up across the country at alarming rate. While the Commission recognizes the use of e-cigarettes in tobacco-cessation programmes, the marketing of e-cigarettes by Big Tobacco as a healthy alternative to traditional tobacco is dangerous and misleading, the statement said.
“We would like to highlight to the authorities and to those who import, distribute and make such products available to the public, that laws of the country must be upheld. In particular, we remind the National Tobacco Control Council that Clauses 25 (2), 29, 30 and 33 requires that e-cigarette and hookah products must be properly packaged and labelled before they are permitted to enter Guyana and before they are allowed to be distributed and sold in the country. The Commission is of the view that none of the e-cigarette and hookah products being sold to the Guyanese public adhere to the clear definition and provisions of the Packaging and Labelling Regulations (2018) under the Tobacco Control Act 2017”, the statement contended.
It added that Under Section 25 (2) of the Packaging and Labelling Regulations (2018), hookah products must meet the same packaging and labelling requirements as traditional tobacco products. “The truth is at this time, hookah products imported, distributed and sold in Guyana, invariably, do not meet the packaging and labelling requirements. These products are seen displayed for sale on store shelves and can even be handled directly by the consumer prior to sale, a circumstance which is prohibited according to Section 29 of the regulations. Additionally, these products are now being sold on the internet via various social media platforms with delivery services being offered in Guyana. This is in contradiction to Section 30 of the Regulations. While we recognize that some hookah products do not contain tobacco, these products are almost identical to the ones that do contain tobacco and, therefore, must adhere to the packaging and labeling requirements, as provided for by Section 33”, the statement warned.
