NATA warning should precede smoking scenes - Prof Carlo Fonseka

Nethali STRUYS

Tobacco and alcohol products are the two worst killers accounting for a majority of premature deaths and ailments across the world. In addition this causes many social and economic sequences that impinge negatively on social life, well-being and economic development.

National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) chief Prof Carlo Fonseka made this observation addressing a press conference held yesterday at the Government Information Department.

Accordingly, all programmes aired on television channels should not have smoking or drinking scenes. If there are any, in the full 20 seconds preceding the commencement of the programme, the TV channels should air the opening message provided by NATA without any obstruction or comment. Further whenever smoking or drinking scenes appear during a programme appropriate messages provided by NATA should be aired on the bottom or top of the screen in an area occupying not less than 1/5 of screen. The instructions apply to all TV channels, he stressed.

Prof Fonseka pointed out that efforts made in 2005 of freeing society from the harmful effects of these substances have shown some success since it had revealed that the sale of cigarette’s had dropped by 17 percent between 2005 to 2009. But this year it has slightly increased by four percent due to developments related to tourism, he added.

The National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol claims that according to expert opinion the mechanism to mask smoking/drinking scenes with mosaics is ineffective.

Sri Lanka Medical Association Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr. Mahesh Rajasuriya said that the new regulations are likely to be far more effective than the censorship of alcohol and tobacco scenes which have been in effect since 2006. “Images of alcohol and cigarette consumptions have increased dramatically in television programmes in the past few years. Research has shown that these images have a vast impact on viewers, especially young people. Our aim is to reduce consumption of alcohol and tobacco use,” Dr. Rajasuriya said.

Therefore NATA, the country’s main agency for tobacco and alcohol control and implementing of ‘Mathata Thitha,’ with the assistance of the Secretary of the Mass Media and Information Ministry has carried out the above mentioned protocol.

“Our primary objective is protecting children from being deceptively enticed to tobacco and alcohol use,” he added.

It had revealed that 390,000 American youth smoke because of what they see on the screen and imposing adult rating on films that include actors smoking would likely prevent 200,000 youngsters from becoming smokers, the panel added.