Tobacco, alcohol use dips

*More amendments to Tobacco, Alcohol Act

*‘Mathata Thitha’ progressing well

Ishara MUDUGAMUWA

Regional Health Services Department Researches show tobacco and alcohol consumption among young people has dropped by 20 percent, Anuradhapura Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Palitha Bandara said at a press conference at the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute yesterday.

According to the WHO in the 20 century the tobacco industry in ruthless persuit of profits, killed 100 million people worldwide and it is set to kill a 1,000 million in the 21st century.

This will happen if these merchants of death miscalled the tobacco industry, are allowed freely to promote and advertise their poison by direct and indirect methods. One method systematically used by the industry is to reward handsomely glamorous actors and actresses to smoke in movies whenever possible National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol Chairman Prof. Carlo Fonseka said.

The aim of the tobacco and alcohol industry is to induce impressionable adolescents who see their heroes and heroines smoke and drink in films to imitate them.

There is evidence to prove that this is an effective strategy. Because this well-worn promotional strategy is so well-known, our legislators decided to counter it by including a provision in the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Act No. 27 which was unanimously ratified in Parliament, Prof. Fonseka said.

He said the law does not make it mandatory for television channels to mask with mosaic scenes on television depicting tobacco and alcohol use.

In fact there is reason to believe that the mosaic mechanism for conforming the law was an invention of merchants of death who were hell-bent on making viewers mad with statutory authorities like NATA.

There is evidence that owners of television channels or their subordinate employees have been given special incentives by the tobacco and alcohol industries to use the mosaic mechanism in conforming to the law, Prof. Fonseka said.

NATA Special operation Centre was established in the Regional Health Services Department, Anuradhapura. The hot line 1948 is open to the public to get guidance and directions to stop the consumption of tobacco and alcohol.

Many people complain through this number about places producing illicit alcohol. It is easy for us to take legal action against people who produce alcohol, he said.

NATA will add two more amendments to the Tobacco and Alcohol Act to arrest people who smoke in public places including roads and give all powers to the authorities to carry out the duties enacted by the Act.