Erongo governor Nathalia |Goagoses has called for the government, businesses, families and communities to work together to protect young people from tobacco and nicotine products.
|Goagoses made the call on Monday at a national public consultation on proposed amendments to the Tobacco Products Control Act at Swakopmund.
She said protecting young people from tobacco and nicotine addiction should not be left to parents or the government alone, arguing that businesses, schools, traditional leaders, civil society and communities all have a role to play.
“This calls for cooperation between the national government, regional authorities, local authorities, traditional leadership, civil society, the private sector, health institutions, schools, families and communities,” |Goagoses said.
She said the country needs to move beyond discussions and take practical action in communities where young people are exposed to tobacco and nicotine products.
|Goagoses said stronger laws and enforcement are also needed to prevent adults and businesses from making tobacco and nicotine products available to young people.
“Give us the law enforcement that power to really prevent, to prosecute, to send, give tough sentences to those who are causing this harm to our communities,” she said.
She said the growing availability of electronic cigarettes, vaping products, hookah and other nicotine products had changed the tobacco landscape since the existing law was introduced.
|Goagoses also called for authorities to identify areas where young people are being exposed to or using tobacco and nicotine products and take action.
“Let us mean what we want to achieve, all of us. When we say it’s a shared responsibility, let it be the shared responsibility,” she said.
She said legislation alone would not solve the problem and called for practical solutions from the consultation.
“Let us consider different perspectives. And after that, let us identify and put forward practical solutions,” |Goagoses said.
The consultation comes as Namibia reviews its tobacco-control legislation more than a decade after the current act was enacted in 2010.
Committee chairperson Joseph Shapumba says the rise of new tobacco and nicotine products had created a need to review the legislation.
“We saw the need to come to the public to consult and hear the views on how to better the Tobacco Amendment Act to a superb document that is accommodating the needs of the public,” Shapumba says.
The existing Tobacco Products Control Act prohibits the sale or supply of tobacco products to anyone under 18. Retailers are also required to display notices stating that tobacco products cannot legally be sold to minors.
Under the current law, a person who sells or supplies tobacco products to someone under 18 can face a fine of up to N$100 000, imprisonment of up to five years, or both.
