TOBACCO INDUSTRY FRUSTRATING CONTROL BILL ENACTMENT

OLIVER SAMBOKO writes

THE Zambia Consumer Association (ZACA) has  accused  players  in  the  tobacco  industry of using influential individuals to fight the Tobacco and Nicotine Control Bill before consideration in Parliament.

ZACA Executive Secretary, Juba Sakala, observed with concern the tactics in tobacco industry whereby players were using high profile people to discredit the Bill of 2018.

He said the  Bill before  parliament  should be supported by all Zambians because it seeks to protect the lives of people, both smokers and non-smokers.

“As we all know the bill is there to save lives of people who consume tobacco in whatever form,” he said. He said once the Bill is passed into law, the country will benefit as it will not only save lives but also serve Government money used to procure drugs for treatment of tobacco related diseases.

Mr Sakala said it was disappointing that the tobacco industry was using tactics to delay the process of enacting the Bill. He said ZACA was aware of manoeuvres by the industry to distract the Government policy on its quest to regulate tobacco consumption. Mr Sakala wondered why organisations like the Zambia Federation of Employers (ZFE) were opposing the enactment of the Bill when the same Bill has already passed through several stages including extensive consultation of all the concerned stakeholders.