It's World No Tobacco Day when health authorities all across the world take aim at the second major cause of death in the world: cigarette smoking. But in Belize it's not just talk anymore; there is a National Tobacco Control Plan for 2007 through to 2011. This morning, Health Minister Jose Coye said that talk is over; Health authorities must now act decisively to end tobacco advertising and disallow smoking in public areas.
Hon. Jose Coye, Minister of Health
"If you don't smoke, don't start and if you do, quit."
And to make that real, the Ministry of Health is proposing a ban on tobacco advertising and smoking in public spaces.
Hon. Jose Coye,
"Belize will begin the institution of a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship within 5 years. We are requiring health warning labels covering at least 30% of the surface of tobacco packages within three years, and will very shortly introduce legislation banning smoking in all indoor public places and workplaces to ensure protection from second hand tobacco smoke. Our determination is that there will be a measurable decrease in the
number of Belizeans who smoke, and that that effort begins today, and that we will use every option at our disposal to achieve this."
And many of those options will be targeting younger persons to prevent them from ever starting to smoke.
Dr. Jorge Polanco, Director of Health Services
"This is a survey that was done in 2003 and it said, out of the big report, I just extracted those two ideas which has a lot of implications. 20% of the students between the age 13 to 15, and which by the way is the highest rate in the English Caribbean countries, had already smoked at some point in time."
Well not these children who attended today. Excelsior Junior High Students Phyliss Audinett and Kyron Bennett who have gotten the message.
Kyron Bennett, Student
"On the streets well you know they have a lot of temptation and stuff
on the streets and guys smoking weed and guys smoking tobacco cigarettes and if you don't really join the group, some of them will want to call you whatever words which come to mind and stuff. So I am against it in a way because we as students aren't supposed to do those things."
Phyliss Audinett, Student
"I personally choose not to smoke because I don't like the scent of the cigarette or the marijuana so I just choose not to smoke and I know it is not healthy. I don't need those types of influence around me to make the right decision. I know who I am and I know that I shouldn't do that because it's not right and it is not healthy."
Kyron Bennett,
"I choose not to because I play sports and stuff and that will impact you in your life and slow you down a lot. So me as a young youth playing basketball out in the street and thing, know I am not supposed to smoke those things because it will slow me down."
World Health Organization statistics show that tobacco is currently responsible 5 million deaths each year.
