Despite the well publicised health risks of smoking, there are fears by Anti-smoking activists that cigarettes are so cheap in Ghana that even children can buy them, especially as they are being sold in single sticks as opposed to by the pack.
In Ghana it is common for parents to send their children out to buy their cigarettes for them, and in some cases children are also asked to light it before bringing it to their parents. Through natural curiosity or perhaps in a bid to keep the cigarette alight children are often tempted to take a puff. It does not take long for the nicotine to do its job and children easily become addicted.
Another issue is that a lot of cigarette vendors entrust their products with children to sell. Ion such establishments the cigarettes are usually sold alongside sweets and drinks.
The health risks of smoking are of course severe. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recently released figures which say that each year 5 million people die as a result of smoking and that someone dies every 6.5 seconds from tobacco use. Smoking is also estimated to shorten life expectancy by 20 to 25 years.
If this trend is allowed to continue, smoking is predicted to kill 6 million people in 2010 which is more than HIV, malaria and TB combined. By 2030 the figure is likely to be over 10 million smokers and passive smokers with 70% in developing countries, including Ghana.
A spokesperson from Ghana’s High Commission in the UK told me; “Smoking is of course a huge concern, particularly if children are involved.”
Ghana does not currently have a law to regulate the tobacco industry, or the use of tobacco. A tobacco control bill has been pending for several months, even as Ghana was one of the first countries to ratify the UNs Framework for Tobacco Control (FCTC). However many people fear the power and influence of the rich tobacco companies in preventing any further progress.
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