The persistent increase in tobacco and nicotine products on the global market is becoming alarming as a new study reveals over 100 brands of novel products are on the Ghanaian market and are being accessed by Junior High students, especially females.
In a shocking report commissioned by the Vision for Alternative Development (VALD Ghana), Researcher and Lecturer at KNUST, Dr. Arti Singh, according to the Global Youth Tobacco Study (GYTS), claims about 4.9% of Junior High School (JHS) students in Ghana are using E-Cigarettes with female students at the forefront.
In a presentation of the study commissioned by the Vision for Alternative Development (VALD), 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 like Jiiji and Tonaton.
In December last year, the World Health Organization (WHO) unveiled a technical paper titled “ELECTRONIC CIGARETTE: CALL TO ACTION,” which calls for urgent action to control e-cigarettes to protect children, as well as non-smokers and minimize health harms to the population.
According to the paper, e-cigarettes as consumer products have not been shown to be effective in quitting tobacco use at the population level. Instead, alarming evidence has emerged on adverse population health effects.
VALD Ghana is in solidarity with this vision but the study has proven to further raise concerns on steps being put in place to combat this rising menace among the Ghanaian populace.
Going further into the study, Dr Singh, advised that e-cigarettes contained 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 but 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.
In another presentation by Alex Moyem Kombat (PhD), Assistant Commissioner, Research & Policy-GRA, he noted that the entity has been working tirelessly to see to the implementation of the policy to fight tobacco menace.
He emphasized the fact that e-cigarettes need to be taxed because they are harmful to human health, imported in large quantities, are being traded in -shops, and are legally upright as it is in line with Article 8 of Chapter 4 of the ECOWAS Directive.
He recommends the following as some formalities to address to ensure the policy sees the light of day
- FDA must notify GRA for us to begin engagement on the e-cigarettes
- Strengthen our collaboration with state agencies and international bodies to fight illicit trade in tobacco products including e-cigarettes
- Application of more technology in the fight against the illicit tobacco/e-cigarette trade
He also urged every stakeholder to contribute their quota to the successful implementation of the policy as it is a collective responsibility.
The Stakeholders Meeting marks a significant step forward in Ghana’s collective effort to protect the health and financial well-being of the citizenry from the perils of tobacco use.