It is illegal to smoke in public places – FDA

Mr Abel Ndego, the Acting Upper East Regional Head of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), has cautioned members of the public against smoking in public places.

He said it was prohibited for anyone to use any form of tobacco products including shisha, cigarettes, and cigars in such places, saying that per the provisions of part Six of the Public Health Act, smoking in public places was outlawed.

He said “It is now illegal to smoke in any public place, so smoking is prohibited in facilities including restaurants, hotel premises, pubs, night clubs, offices, bus terminals, market centres, and schools, as they all constituted public places.

“Anywhere there is more than one person gathered, becomes a public place,” he said.

Mr Ndego gave the caution at a sensitisation programme on the regulation of tobacco and tobacco products in Ghana, organised by the Regional Office of the FDA, for owners and operators of hotels, restaurants, pubs and night clubs in the Bolgatanga and Kassena-Nankana Municipalities of the Region.

He indicated that it was not allowed for drivers to smoke in their vehicles while there were passengers and explained that “Once you carry a passenger in your vehicle, it becomes a public space, so you are liable to all the regulations that relate to a public space”.

The Acting Head told the participants that if they wanted their patrons to smoke, they must create designated smoking areas under strict requirements and approval by the FDA.

He added that the law also prohibited all forms of tobacco advertisement and that of tobacco products, therefore for facilities that were displaying shisha hookers, it was a form of advertisement and a total violation of the law.

“Tobacco producers and retailers cannot also sponsor any event in this country,” he told the participants.

Touching on packaging, labeling and health warning on tobacco products, Mr Ndego said the FDA, as part of efforts to sensitise members of the public, insisted that all tobacco products should have designated health warnings accredited by the Authority.

“As much as possible, we want to always warn the potential user of all the health implications and risks associated with the use of tobacco and its products, so that if probably you did not know, and you can read, you will know that the product has a caution statement.

“We realised over time that just the words form of the warnings were not getting the required output because not everyone is literate. So, we decided to incorporate pictorial warnings,” he said.

He urged the participants to ensure strict compliance with the law and for “the Upper East Region to be the most compliant area when it comes to tobacco control”.

Some of the participants who spoke with the Ghana News Agency after the programme, commended the Authority for the continuous engagements with stakeholders to ensure public safety, and gave the assurance that they would play their roles as owners and operators of public places to complement the FDA’s efforts.

Source: GNA