REPORT TOBACCO USERS WHO SMOKE PUBLICLY – Food and Drugs Authority Urges Ghanaians

The Food and Drugs Authority is concerned about tobacco users’ obvious noncompliance with rules prohibiting smoking in public areas.

The Public Health Act 2012 (Act 851) and Tobacco Regulations 2016 (L.I. 2247) ban smoking in public areas to safeguard public health.

Nonetheless, a large portion of smokers persists in disregarding the commands to savour their spliff.

During a discussion on Luv FM, Dr. Abigail Arthur from the FDA mentioned that although the law allows individuals to smoke, it strongly advises against smoking in public areas.

She emphasized the dangers linked to smoking, acknowledging the threats to both smokers and those exposed to second-hand smoke.

“Second-hand smokers and main smokers are equally at risk when smoking takes place in public,”she noted.

Dr. Arthur mentions that establishments such as restaurants and pubs are required by law to show a ‘No Smoking’ sign on their property to warn customers about smoking in public.

The FDA recommends a specific location for these activities, which should be inaccessible to both minors under 18 and pregnant women.

“Places like that can be provided for smokers but should be far from where non-smokers gather so the smoke does not seep into where non-smokers are. Such places should also be free of any other activities except smoking,” she explained.

Dr. Arthur states that not adhering to these regulations may result in administrative penalties, jail time, or legal action, as the authority sends out enforcement teams to regularly check public areas for compliance.

She also called on citizens to remain watchful during the holiday season, a time when unregulated goods, such as tobacco, frequently inundate the market.

“We’re intensifying surveillance to ensure illegal products do not enter the market,” she said while courting support from public facility operators and the general public in enforcing tobacco regulations.