Smoking Restrictions And Tobacco Legislation In Africa

President Yoweri Museveni affirmed that in Ugandathat Tobacco Companies have is how to regulate the
there is one Tobacco Company that provides almosttobacco market. In Uganda started to put warning
one-sixteenth of Uganda's total tax revenue andlabels about how dangerous is smoking on the
offers different jobs to more than half million peoplecigarette packs.
in a country that needs so much any kinds of  jobs.Mr. Karugaba is trying to find a court order that
The company is helping the children that are infectedwould make these smoking restrictions more severe
with AIDS and the victims that have suffered fromand maximize the purpose of the warnings. On the
the war.warning labels there was written: ''Ministry of Health
warning: Cigarette smoking can be harmful to your
In Uganda there is an antismoking activist and a wellhealth.''
known lawyer, Phillip Karugaba. He has another opinionIn the late 1980’s British American Tobacco said
about the tobacco company. He affirms that if thereto the policy makers that they don’t believe that
were 1,000 B.A.T.'s there would be no morecigarette is harmful. In 1988 the British American
population in Africa.  He is a person that tries to helpTobacco has wrote to the Ugandan government that
Africa follow the same rules like the entire worldthe message from the warning labels should be not
regarding smoking. B.A.T. is such a powerful and bigso strong. But from that time the company has
company that is not considered to be a monster, butrealized the bad health effects that are caused by
this is only for a while, he said.smoking.  Mr. Karugaba is demanding clear messages
British American Tobacco is located in London but ofabout what smoking cigarettes could lead to. The
course it has subsidiaries in Africa and in countriesantismoking movement in Africa has advanced in the
from all over the world. Smoking in Africa is stilllast years; lawsuits where individual smokers are
allowed on a lot of domestic airlines. In restaurantsimplicated are something usual.
and bars where people are smoking too. There are aBecause the company was worried about its business
few hospitals that allow smoking a cigarette if theyand image it has started a public relation campaign.
want. In Africa smoking is less controlled than inUganda has its own Monitor, an independent
other countries. South Africa, with sub-Saharannewspaper that leads the population to discussions
Africa's is very strong in economy in comparison withabout smoking.
Uganda which is far behind and it relies on the foreignBut in the same time Moses Ali, who is the minister
economical assistance.of industry, trade and tourism has invited the
Because in many African countries is a lack ofpopulation to smoke like it is something related to
tobacco legislation, these countries are a target for apatriotism. He also said that no one is forced to
lot of tobacco companies. British American Tobacco issmoke cigarettes, but if there is someone that would
the second biggest cigarette manufacturer after Philiplike to do this, he is welcome, because the state will
Morris.  Many companies that have their tobaccoget taxes from them.
business in Africa have tried everything possible toThe most known cheerleader of all B.A.T. was Mr.
maintain Africa a smoking zone. But even thoughMuseveni, and he said that the tobacco company is
they have tried so hard to do this, smoking bansthe best things that ever happened to a country
appear in that part of the world, slowly but surely.that is so destitute. Mr. Museveni advised everyone
Mr. Karugaba's ordered the country's Nationalto smoke but not to inhale the smoke, because it
Environmental Management Authority to makecauses cancer. And he also said that Europeans have
smoking restrictions in public places; these bans havecancer problems because they inhale the smoke, His
to be enforced within a year. B.A.T asked if theyfather has smoked for 70 years but stayed alive by
could participate at the first meeting but they werenot inhaling the smoke from the cigarettes. But in
not allowed to do that.Africa there are bigger health problems than the
Anti tobacco advocates affirm that the only goaltobacco usage: for example AIDS, malaria and others.