The Food and Drugs Authority is alarmed by tobacco users’ blatant disregard for regulations banning them from smoking in public spaces.
The Public Health Act 2012 (Act 851) and Tobacco Regulations 2016 (L.I. 2247), prohibit smoking in public places to protect public health.
However, a significant number of smokers continue to defy the orders to enjoy their spliff.
Speaking on Luv FM, Dr. Abigail Arthur of the FDA noted that while the law permits individuals to smoke, it strictly discourages smoking in public spaces.
She highlighted the risks associated with smoking, recognizing the dangers to both smokers and second-hand smokers.
“Second-hand smokers and main smokers are equally at risk when smoking takes place in public,” she noted.
Dr. Arthur explains public facilities like restaurants and pubs are mandated by law to display a ‘No Smoking’ signage at their premises to caution patrons against smoking publicly.
The FDA urges a designated abode for such activities which is out of reach to both children under the age of 18 and expectant mothers.
“Places like that can be provided for smokers but should be far from where non-smokers gather so the smoke does not seep into where non-smokers are. Such places should also be free of any other activities except smoking,” she explained.
According to Dr. Arthur, failure to comply with these regulations attracts administrative charges, imprisonment, or prosecution as the authority deploys enforcement teams to routinely monitor public spaces to ensure compliance.
She also urged citizens to be vigilant during the festive season, a period when unregulated products, including tobacco, often flood the market.
“We’re intensifying surveillance to ensure illegal products do not enter the market,” she said while courting support from public facility operators and the general public in enforcing tobacco regulations. She is optimistic restricting smoking to controlled areas and safeguarding vulnerable groups such as children and pregnant women would minimize the health risks associated with smoking in Ghana.
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