[ad_1]
The city of Cape Town says its goal is to make its public buildings completely smoke-free as part of an international partnership with Bloomberg and in preparation for incoming national smoking legislation.
Cape Town Mayor’s Committee Member for Community Services and Health Zahid Badroodien said the city has joined the Bloomberg Alliance for Healthy Cities Tobacco Campaign.
As part of the partnership, the city has chosen to focus on tobacco use and secondhand smoke as the new National Tobacco Law will soon be enacted, he said.
Badroodien said the bill will introduce a number of changes at the national level, including:
- Promote a 100% smoke-free environment for everyone, including major amendments around stricter rules about where smoking is allowed;
- The inclusion of electronic cigarettes in tobacco products;
- The application of the generic packaging and the prohibition of the advertising of tobacco products in the boxes;
- Elimination of cigarette vending machines.
“According to the South African Demographic and Health Survey, 25% of women and 43% of men in the Western Cape smoke daily. The goal is to create a smoke-free city through stakeholder engagement, education campaigns, and review of internal city policy.
“The City of Cape Town will seek to ensure that as many buildings as possible comply with the new policy on smoking in the workplace after the intervention,” Badroodien said.
Badroodien detailed the city’s three-pronged approach to tackling tobacco use as follows:
- Policy changes – City Health and Human Resources, in conjunction with the policy unit, have updated the City’s policy on smoking in the workplace. This new document is a framework that aims to discourage smoking, as well as protect non-smokers;
- Greater enforcement of tobacco law – Environmental Health and other City departments have strengthened enforcement of tobacco laws within the City. Gaps in law enforcement were identified and roles and responsibilities are being defined. During the festive season, activations were carried out on barricades and beaches to raise awareness among citizens about the harms of tobacco use;
- Media campaign: City Health is creating a tobacco awareness campaign, which has both an internal and external focus. The goals of the campaign are to announce that the City is smoke-free and educate the community about the harms of secondhand smoke.
Smoking ban in public places
Deputy Health Minister Joe Phaahla said in May that the government was in the process of finalizing the bill that will allow it impose a 100% ban on smoking in public areas.
He said the government is also moving to identify areas that need to be strengthened in terms of legislation, including regulation of e-cigarettes and related products.
“We are finalizing the Tobacco Control Bill to close the gap and protect the public from the harmful effects of tobacco use. We continue to identify areas that need to be strengthened in terms of legislation, ”he said.
Current smoking law prohibits smoking in public places, but allows designated smoking areas in places like bars, taverns, and restaurants, provided they occupy no more than 25% of the space.
“We want to change the 25% smoking allowed in public areas to a 100% ban on smoking in public areas.”
The deputy minister noted that smoking among adults has dropped from 32% in 1992 to 18% in 2012, in South Africa. He said that more recent studies have shown that this number has risen to more than 21%.
He said that tobacco kills about 20,000 people in South Africa annually.
Read: New Momentum for Tighter Alcohol Laws in South Africa – Here’s What Could Change
[ad_2]
