Patricia Sosa and Ian Stein | Jamaica should adopt Tobacco Control Bill to save lives

Jamaica has been developing tobacco control legislation for almost 20 years in an effort to protect its citizens from the death and sickness produced by tobacco use. The achievement of that objective is now within reach: A bill to improve Jamaica’s tobacco control regime is currently being discussed before a Joint Select Committee of the Parliament. These efforts are to be congratulated as thousands of lives could be saved annually by this bill. The time for policymakers to act is now: adopt the tobacco control Bill to safeguard Jamaica’s public health.

The bill, which was tabled since December 2020 in the Jamaican Parliament, will comprehensively address Jamaica’s obligations under the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in keeping with current international tobacco control standards. The adoption of the Tobacco Control Act, 2020 seeks to position Jamaica as a leader in the fight against the harms of tobacco consumption in the Caribbean and a role model to be followed by other countries in the region.

Reducing tobacco use is critical in the Jamaican Government’s efforts to improve public health and combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which are a significant driver of illness and mortality worldwide. Per the WHO, NCDs kill 41 million people each year, which is equivalent to 71 per cent of all deaths globally. Tobacco use is not only the single risk factor shared by all the four main NCDs (cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes) but also is one of the only products that kills up to half of its consumers when used as intended. The government’s duty is to prevent these diseases in their population, reducing critical risk factors that facilitate them, such as tobacco consumption.

DIE FROM NCD

According to a report issued in 2018 by the United Nations Interagency Task Force on NCDs (UNIATF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), “In Jamaica, nearly four out of five individuals die from NCDs, and a 30-year-old has a 17 per cent chance of dying prematurely from any of the four main NCDs (cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer) before reaching his or her 70th birthday.” Findings from the 2016-2017 Health and Lifestyle Survey III indicated that 15 per cent of Jamaicans 15 years and older were current tobacco smokers. The situation is even worse in the younger population. According to the 2017 Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 15.6 per cent of Jamaican students between 13 and 15 years old currently use any tobacco product (smoked or smokeless) while 14.4 per cent use only smoked tobacco products. Besides, 11.7 per cent of Jamaican students within the same age group currently use electronic cigarettes.

Jamaican legislators are right, then, to discuss the implementation and strengthening of evidence-based measures to prevent tobacco consumption in the country. The efforts the country has made since it began a rigorous discussion process for modifying the current tobacco control regulations can only be congratulated.

The bll currently in discussion, along with improving the current regulations enacted to protect from exposure to tobacco smoke, includes regulation of the interactions of government officials with the tobacco industry; a complete mandatory ban on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship; an increase in the size of pictorial health warnings on tobacco products from the existing 60 per cent to 80 per cent of the principal display areas of tobacco products packs; and the regulation of new tobacco and nicotine products, such as heated tobacco products. All of the said measures are designed to enable Jamaica to comply with its international obligations as a party to the WHO FCTC, an evidence-based treaty that reaffirms the right of all people to the highest standard of health, to which Jamaica ratified it in 2005. Regulating the interaction of government officials with the industry (including through prohibitions on investment) is critical to protect public-health policies from the influence of the tobacco industry, given the goal of protecting public health. Tobacco advertising and marketing is aimed at recruiting new users, usually the youth, and evidence has shown that complete bans on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship result in a decrease in consumption.

The adoption of such policies will not only have a positive effect on the lives of the Jamaican population. It will also generate profound economic benefits that can potentially be translated into improvements in the quality of life of the entire population. In fact, per UNIATF, UNDP, and PAHO calculations, “[…] for every Jamaican dollar invested in tobacco control, one can expect to see 5.37 Jamaican dollars in return […]” Hence, Jamaica can readily increase the gains made in tobacco control by implementing, along with other measures, the comprehensive tobacco control legislation currently being discussed, which includes not only a strong commitment for banning all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship but also addresses the great challenges posed by the introduction of emerging products to the Jamaican market.

Therefore, the benefits derived from the approval of the tobacco control measures currently under discussion in Parliament, both for the health of the population and the country’s economy, are compelling.

For years, the tobacco industry has attempted to undermine policies to protect people from the harms of tobacco consumption. The industry’s efforts observed in Jamaica are yet another example of a strategy deployed to hinder the adoption of policies intended to protect the health of its citizens. These efforts demonstrate what the tobacco industry is willing to do to prioritise profits over sound public-health policies that save lives.

However, we are confident that legislators and public opinion will not be easily misled by the messages the industry is disseminating. The social and economic benefits of adopting a robust, modern, evidence-based tobacco control legislation are well documented and technically proven. As Jamaica’s leaders discuss comprehensive reform of the country’s tobacco-control regulations, we have confidence in them to put the public’s health above the tobacco industry’s profit.

- Patricia Sosa, is regional advocacy director for Latin America and the Caribbean for Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. Ian Stein is Pan American Health Organization/ World Health Organization Representative in Jamaica. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.