Opinions vary on new smoking law

Date: 20 July 2018 By: Jo Robinson

As with the rest of the country, residents of Louis Trichardt feel just as strongly either for or against the proposed new 2018 bill dated 9 May – the Draft Control of Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems.

From the bill, some ways these laws will make a difference is that “there will be no smoking in an enclosed place within a certain distance to a place where smoking is prohibited, or enclosed workplace, or in a public conveyance. No smoking in any motor vehicle when a child under the age of 18 is present and there is more than one person present in that vehicle. No smoking in enclosed common areas of a multi-unit residence or at health facilities excluding rehabilitation centres. No smoking in a private dwelling if it is used for commercial childcare activity, domestic employment, or for schooling or tutoring. There will also be no advertising, promotion, sponsorship, distribution, and display of tobacco products and electronic delivery systems such as pipes and electronic devices, and components of those products or systems.” Using vaping devices or e-cigarettes is considered smoking under this law, so the same rules and penalties will apply to anyone doing this in any of the places now out of bounds.

Comments from Zoutpansberger readers on Facebook show that some feel that the government should be concentrating on more serious issues while others agree that this law is a good one. One reader who is not a smoker suggested: “Concentrate on the farm murders and leave the smokers alone”. F Bouwer’s view was an emphatic “Stop the smoking!” while a couple agreed that alcohol and crime are bigger problems.

The CEO of the Tobacco, Alcohol and Gambling Advisory, Advocacy, and Action group, Peter Ucko, said: “It’s a health reason. You don’t want to expose people to second-hand and third-hand smoke. It’s just a public health risk. Let’s call a spade a spade and not a shovel. It’s not just a cloud of smoke. It’s a dense cloud of toxic chemicals that are dangerous to public health.”

The #HandsOffMyChoices hashtag has been created and points people in the direction of a petition to sign in the hopes of preventing the bill going through. This has been widely advertised on radio stations, including our local Jacaranda FM, and commenters from both the for and against sides are found on their Facebook page. While many seem to support this campaign, remarks occur from those who suggest that campaigns like this one are funded by the tobacco industry.

In a press release issued by the Tobacco Industry of Southern Africa (TISA) on 26 April this year, they call for a “thorough impact assessment prior to introduction of extreme new legislation” and note their “surprise and concern” at the announcement. “TISA believes the process now urgently requires that a comprehensive, transparent and multistakeholder Socio Economic Impact Assessment (SEIA) is conducted to ensure the legislation is evidence-based and does not result in unintended consequences.”

Another hashtag #SaveVaping has also been doing the rounds, with vaping enthusiasts such as @VPASouthAfrica #SmokeFreeSA claiming that it has saved many lives by converting smokers away from cigarettes and encouraging people to share their testimonies about how this habit helped them quit a worse one, which they hope will lead to vapers’ not having to contend with the same laws as those who are smoking cigarettes. Local cashiers at shops selling these devices told the newspaper that they have experienced a steady rise in purchases and that Louis Trichardt has a large vaping community. 

Dr Kgosi Letlape, co-founder of the Africa Harm Reduction Alliance, is a little more pro-vaping. He says that in markets such as the UK “Vaping is considered to be useful and they are advocating for the e-cigarette to be prescribed by doctors to smokers who can’t quit”. Letlape’s co-founder, Dr Delon Human, states that “Vaping and e-cigarettes have the potential to prevent tobacco-related disease and save hundreds of millions of lives from premature death. For the sake of population and individual health, it is imperative that vaping is recognised as an alternative to combustible tobacco products, within the broader context of tobacco harm reduction.”

“Our motive is to protect public health,” said Lorato Mahura of the tobacco control unit of the health department. He said that they were expecting pushback from the tobacco industry. “Their mandate is to protect profits,” he said. “We are going to be tampering with their profit-making processes. Of course they are going to fight back.”

Whether the bill is ratified or not, readers’ comments suggest that, with the current state of lawlessness here, they would be interested to see whether any smokers actually do get arrested.

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Jo Robinson

Jo joined the Zoutpansberger and Limpopo Mirror in 2018 pursuing a career in journalism after many years of writing fiction and non-fiction for other sectors.

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