Maputo, 09 Apr (AIM) – Mozambique’s parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, approved on Wednesday a new Tobacco Law, which aims to reduce tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.

The approval of the law complements the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), adopted in 2003 and in force since February 2005.

The instrument is a response to the global tobacco epidemic and establishes strict control measures, aiming to protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to secondhand smoke.

According to the Minister of Justice, Mateus Saíze, speaking during the presentation of the bill in the Assembly, lung and mouth cancer, congenital malformations, premature births and sudden infant death syndrome are among the harmful effects of tobacco consumption.

According to Saíze, tobacco consumption imposes a substantial economic burden. as the country annually records around 11.7 billion meticais (172.3 million US dollars at the current exchange rate) in direct and indirect economic losses, corresponding to 1.3 percent of Mozambique’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Annual economic losses include 900 million meticais in health-related expenses and 10.8 billion meticais in indirect losses due to premature deaths, illnesses and smoking during working hours.

The prevalence of smoking in Mozambique increases with age, rising from 2.8 percent among those aged between 15 and 24 years to 16.1 percent among those aged between 45 and 64 years.

“A reduction in forms of tobacco use among young adults could lead to a shift to the use of smokeless tobacco. However, studies indicate that smokeless tobacco carries health risks equal to, and in some cases greater than, those of smoked tobacco, including cancer of the mouth, tongue, esophagus and pancreas, as well as gum disease, tooth wear, increased blood pressure and a greater risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases,” the document states.

The minister also said that a 64 percent reduction in the prevalence of tobacco consumption over 15 years could help save 53,400 lives, around 3,600 annually. In economic terms, it could avoid 35 percent of the expected losses from tobacco consumption over the next 15 years.
(AIM)
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