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The three northern regions of Ghana – the Upper East, Upper West and Northern regions – are reported to be on top of the league of the tobacco consumption populace in the country, with a total of 34.6% adult users.

This is keenly followed by Brong Ahafo’s 8.7% consumption rate, with Central Region at the bottom with 0.8% adult smokers. Western Region recorded 2.8%; Greater Accra had 5.3% and Volta Region had 6.8%. Eastern Region recorded 3.5% while Ashanti Region came up with 5.3%.

Even though majority of the product users are males, Eastern Region had some 0.5% of her female population being smokers; Central Region 0.3%; Ashanti and Brong Ahafo came up with 0.2%. Northern and Upper East witnessed 0.4% and 0.2% respectively. Western, Greater Accra, Volta and Upper West regions had no females who smoke.

This was revealed at a Media Sensitization programme jointly organized by the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service to mark this year’s “World No Tobacco Day” at the GNAT Hall in Accra.

Speaking under the theme – ‘Stop Illicit Trade of Tobacco Products’, Dr. Kyei Faried, Deputy Director for Disease Control Department and Prevention at the Ministry of Health said the three northern regions hinged their excessive use of tobacco products on culture, citing their medicinal convenience as defense.

He observed that most of the users grew the plants in their homes and when they reach their stage of maturity, they chew the leaves and feel good. “Some even believe it prevents diseases from attacking them,” he added.

Proceeds from illicit drug trade, according to Dr. Faried, are used to finance organized crime, through the funding of small arms and the drug market. He added that: “Historically tobacco companies have participated in and encouraged illicit trade to introduce their products in markets that they are restricted from entering. It also reduces the prices of cigarettes and evades taxation, which cost governments billions in lost tax revenue.”

Illicit drug trade of tobacco is said to undermine regulation and enforcement, as well as people’s right to healthy living and also to prevent proven efforts to reduce tobacco use from having full impact.

What is equally worrying is the smuggling and use of electronic cigarettes, known as e-cigarettes or electronic nicotine delivery system. This is a harmful battery-powered nicotine containing vaporizer that feels like tobacco smoking.

There are also tobacco candies which are meant to influence children to develop the habit of smoking later in their lives. The sale and use of these candies are illegal and so the police are alert about those who try to make them available to children.

When eliminated, Dr. Faried believes it would improve public health, help cut crime and curb an important revenue source for the tobacco industry. Governments in this regard would generate an annual tax windfall of 31 billion US dollars.

On her part, representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) Ghana Country Office, Mrs. Juana Ansong, expressed worry about the easy access of tobacco products in the system and thus saw that as the main reason why young people made efforts to try smoking.

Touched by the costly use and implication of the product to both the individual and the family, she said that children should be discouraged from engaging in the act. Her case was premised on the fact that Junior High School (JHS) pupils now use cigarettes. “Among JHS students, aged 13-15 years, 3.6% currently smoke cigarettes. 12.8% use any tobacco product and 14% never smoked,” she added.

Labram Musah, the Programmes Director of the Vision for Alternative Development (VALD) who took his turn at the forum observed that illegally traded cigarettes were far cheaper than officially traded ones.

According to him, tobacco smuggling led to an increase in tobacco consumption and worsened the associated health hazards.

He called on the Ministry of Finance to monitor the implementation of the 33% excise tax increase in tobacco products in the country, adding that “VALD gathered that a pack of some cigarettes sold in Ghana is as low as 1.20p and a single stick of cigarette costs as low as 0.15p. Meanwhile, cigarettes are sold as high as $6.50 and above in other countries.”

Stressing the need to stop the illicit trade of tobacco, Mr. Musah acknowledged that “The European Commission estimates that the illicit trade in cigarettes costs the EU and their member states over 10 billion Euros annually in lost tax and customs revenue and that about 65% of cigarettes seized in the EU are counterfeit.”

Since some companies within the free zone enclave are taking advantage of the non-imposition of tax on their imports to smuggle in cigarettes which they resell at cheaper rates, the Ghana Health Service, in conjunction with the police, immigration and Customs, is said to be in talks with them to put an end to that act.