NC debates the dangers of smoking

By: ABSALOM SHIGWEDHA

SMOKING came under fire in the National Council (NC) yesterday morning, with Swapo MP Aram Martin saying in addition to causing early deaths it also causes impotence in men.

He said according to recent research, people who start smoking at a young age and continue for two decades or more, die younger than those who ever smoke.
“It is not a joke, smoking is one of the biggest risk factors harming the development of the country,” said Martin, who is the councillor for Oshakati West constituency in the Oshana Region.
He was speaking during debate on the second reading of the Tobacco Products Control Bill in the NC.
Martin said people who smoke in public places also put the lives of those near them in danger.
His fellow Swapo MP, Henock Kankoshi, said once the bill is enacted, manufacturers of tobacco products should translate the health warnings on tobacco products into local languages so that the message is understood by everyone.
Section 18 (a) of the bill stipulates that nobody may sell or supply any tobacco products to a person under the age of 18.
Section 22 of the bill prohibits smoking in public places and contraveners will be liable to a fine of N$500, or imprisonment of one month, or both.
Both Martin and Kankoshi supported the bill.
Swapo MP Theo Diergaardt said according to global projections, tobacco kills one person every six seconds and worldwide, it is estimated that tobacco kills 5,4 million people a year, more than HIV-AIDS and malaria combined.
“Eighty per cent of these deaths occur in the developing world,” he said.
absalom@namibian.com.na

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