Renowned Academician and Researcher, Dr. Arti Singh, has revealed that, according to the Global Youth Tobacco Study (GYTS), about 4.9% of Junior High School (JHS) students in Ghana were using E-Cigarettes with female students leading the charge.
Presenting the findings of a study commissioned by the Vision for Alternative Development (VALD), on Novel and Emerging Tobacco and Nicotine Products in Ghana, Dr. Singh cited the GYTS report conducted among over 5000 JHS students across the country, pinpointing that, more female students are into using e-cigarettes than boys in the JHS.
She noted that Ghanaian youth are lured into the use of these products mainly because of targeted marketing by the tobacco industry (Big Tobacco), appealing flavors, and misconstrued perception of it being a safer alternative to combustible (normal) cigarettes.
Dr. Singh noted that there is a growing demand for e-cigarettes among the youth in Ghana with a prevalence rate currently at 5.7 %, though the products are not licensed.
She further revealed that over 100 brands of e-cigarette products have been found in the Ghanaian market, mainly on online marketing sites such as Jiiji and Tonaton.
The revered researcher insisted e-cigarettes contain potentially harmful chemicals in the exhaled vapor and that the product cannot be recommended for cessation purposes as the products do not have warning messages, age restrictions, or tobacco control measures.
She recommended an outright ban of the products and an amendment to the current tobacco control act to capture e-cigarette and other products of its kind. Dr. Arti Singh also proposed country-specific data on e-cigarette use in the country to curtail the growing demand for the product.
Executive Director Incharge of Programs at the Vision for Alternative Development (VALD), Labram Massawudu Musah, lamented the 5% prevalence of e-cigarettes in the country and called for a comprehensive efforts from all stakeholders to halt the unfortunate development.
He said VALD would embark on educational campaigns in some primary and junior high schools across the country to protect children from industry interference and the impact of these products.
“the children are the target, they have always been the target. So we need to target them (children) and give them awareness that those products will hook them to smoking,” he said.
Mr. Musah expressed gratitude to the consultant for the survey and all other stakeholders that contributed to the success of the project.
Assistant Commissioner of Research and Policy at the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Dr. Alex Moyam Kombat, asserted that the GRA will continue to impose excise duty taxes on the e-cigarettes and other products in that category, nonetheless, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has declared the products unlicensed and illegal, the authority cannot continue not to act as the products troop into the country in large quantities.
He insisted that, because Ghana has signed on to the ECOWAS Directive, chapter four compels the Authority to place excise taxes on these products.
He, however, extended a warm invitation to the FDA to engage GRA on the laws that contradict their respective positions on the matter for an amicable resolution.
By Derick Botsyoe || ghananewsonline.com.gh