"Tobacco use presents a risk through the spread of infection through product handling, frequent spitting and sharing of paraphernalia. Smoke
Smokers breathed sighs of relief on Tuesday when they were finally able to — legally — buy cigarettes again. But for Alana Potter, it didn't make a difference. The human rights researcher said she used the lockdown and the ban on the sale of tobacco products as a way to quit smoking. The ban kicked in when SA went into lockdown in March as one of the measures to curb the spread of Covid-19. After a five-month prohibition that left millions smokers with the options to either quit or make a plan to buy cigarettes on the black market, the ban was lifted when level 2 regulations kicked in on Tuesday. Potter, 51, quit smoking in April when her last pack of cigarettes, which she had bought from a
In December 2016, Philip Morris International (PMI) applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to have IQOS, its heated tobacco product (HTP), classified as a Modified Risk Tobacco Product (MRTP) in the US.12 The US Tobacco Products Advisory Committee (TPSAC) recommended against approving PMI’s application to market IQOS as a reduced risk product.3 On 7 July 2020, the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA) announced its ruling.456 It granted an ‘exposure modification’ order, which allows PMI to market IQOS in the U.S. using the following claims:4 “The IQOS system heats tobacco but does not burn it” “This significantly reduces the production of harmful and potentially harmful chemi
Under the new lockdown regulations that Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma announced on Monday, the sale of alcohol and cigarettes are allowed as most of the economy has been reopened and people are permitted to travel between provinces and visit friends and family again. Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has defended the five month ban on the sale of tobacco products. The ban was lifted at midnight when Alert Level 2 lockdown came into effect. Under the new lockdown regulations that Dlamini-Zuma announced on Monday, the sale of alcohol and cigarettes is allowed as most of the economy has been reopened and people are permitted to travel between provinces and visit
Cape Town - As South Africa emerges from a five-month ban on tobacco sales, the country's biggest cigarette company has implored the government to implement measures to clamp down on competitors it accuses of supplying the black market during the prohibition and usurping its dominance. British American Tobacco South Africa (BATSA) on Tuesday called on the government to ratify the World Health Organization (WHO) Illicit Trade Protocol, which it signed in 2013, to stem the illicit cigarette trade that flourished during the 142-day ban. "Ratification would mean that the country, which has the biggest, by far, illegal trade in tobacco in the world, implements global WHO track-and-trace guideline
When you go for your antenatal check-up, they will monitor your high blood pressure on every visit. You may have existing high blood pressure or you may develop hypertension during pregnancy, whatever the case it is important to keep it under control because during pregnancy it can pose a risk to both mother and the unborn baby. If hypertension is not detected and then controlled, it can cause low birth weight or require early delivery of the baby. “We have seen a 33% increase in high blood pressure problems during pregnancy worldwide and an alarming one in six maternal deaths in South Africa are due to hypertensive disorders. Not only can hypertension have serious consequences for the infan
Umlazi resident Portia Mvuyana drove more than 20km to a large liquor outlet in Durban so she could stockpile alcohol “in peace”. Mvuyana was among the first enthusiastic buyers who queued outside Liberty Liquors in Greyville to make their long-awaited purchases. “I have been very thirsty. I took a break when the ban on alcohol sales came about. I didn’t want to buy the fake stuff because I was scared for my health. I waited and now I can buy my originals.” Mvuyana said she decided not to stock up in Umlazi: “It's just too busy there. They are even more thirsty.” She said she planned to spend about R2,000 on gin and wine. Many of those who queued outside the store had arrived from about 6.30
Under the new lockdown regulations that Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma announced on Monday, the sale of alcohol and cigarettes are allowed as most of the economy has been reopened and people are permitted to travel between provinces and visit friends and family again. Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has defended the five month ban on the sale of tobacco products. The ban was lifted at midnight when Alert Level 2 lockdown came into effect. Under the new lockdown regulations that Dlamini-Zuma announced on Monday, the sale of alcohol and cigarettes is allowed as most of the economy has been reopened and people are permitted to travel between provinces and visit
The bans were lifted after lockdown regulations were amended to reopen the economy as the COVID-19 infection rate dropped. Distributors prepare to send out beer after the ban on alcohol sales was lifted with the country moving to lockdown level 2 on 18 August 2020. Kaylynn Palm CAPE TOWN - Alcohol and cigarettes are back on the shelves and have been available to purchase from Tuesday, but there are warnings from some quarters. The bans were lifted after lockdown regulations were amended to reopen the economy as the COVID-19 infection rate dropped. The Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance (Sappa) has backed the move but wants more control over consumption. Saapa director, Maurice Smithers
JOHANNESBURG - Cigarette packets flew off the shelves of Wesley's Tobacconist in Johannesburg, South Africa's financial hub, as a strict anti-coronavirus lockdown imposed in March was scaled down on Tuesday. "It has been extremely busy today," said shop manager Sandra de Wet Postma, concerned about shrinking stock as she rushed between customers. "At least it's a good sign," she exclaimed, excited to be back at work after an almost five-month break. Outside, smokers queued eagerly for a new-found puff of their favourite brands. Ailing South African businesses raised their shutters to the first inkling of normality since the start of stringent restrictions that banned the sale of alcohol and
PRESS RELEASE President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed that the temporary ban on the sale of tobacco products would be lifted at midnight, 17 August, based on the reduction in the number of COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions, as well as the recovery rate, among other indicators. Some key health and associated organisations have responded by emphasising that the ban was always a temporary measure, again calling for the Control of Tobacco and Electronic Delivery Systems Bill to finally be passed. The National Council Against Smoking (NCAS), the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) and the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa and South African Medical Research Council (Alcohol, Tobacc
Press release: 17 August 2020 Johannesburg, S.A – With the move to Level 2, based on the reduction in the number of COVID-19 cases, and the reduction in the number of hospital cases, among other indicators, the temporary ban on the sale of tobacco products will be lifted from midnight tonight. While tobacco products will now be available, current evidence indicates that tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke is associated with worse outcomes should smokers and those exposed contract COVID-19. These groups are more likely to be hospitalized, have a more severe form of the disease, and require ICU admission and ventilation. The National Council Against Smoking encourages those who have
Cape Town - University of Cape Town academic Corné van Walbeek on Thursday accused all South African cigarette makers of breaching the contested prohibition on tobacco sales imposed by the government in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. "The behaviour of the tobacco industry during the lockdown has been nothing short of disgraceful... the fact is that tobacco companies have been actively selling in the illicit market," he said at the release of the South African chapter of the 2020 Tobacco Industry Interference Index (TIII) hosted by the National Council Against Smoking. Van Walbeek, the director of the Research Unit on the Economics of Excisable Products (REET), penned the foreword to the
South Africa’s tobacco ban has underscored that the cigarette trade is not your ordinary type of business. The prohibition has served to boost the profits of manufacturers, who were already generating huge returns out of our collective nicotine addiction before they moved to the underground market. Fuelling suspicions that politicians have been captured by corporates, and as a result have shoehorned the ban on cigarette sales into Covid-19 restrictions, is this interesting slide (below). It was leaked from deep inside Philip Morris International, a multinational with 73,500 employees selling to 150m smokers worldwide, and shared this week by the African Centre for Tobacco Industry Monitoring
Media release: 13 August 2020 Johannesburg, S.A – The National Council Against Smoking welcomes the launch of the second Tobacco Industry Interference Index report for South Africa. The report shows an improvement from a score of 72 in the 2018 year to a score of 58 in for the 2019 year. This indicates a decrease in tobacco industry interference and a simultaneous strengthening of efforts to ward off industry interference in South Africa. The report forms part of the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index, an initiative of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance and is produced by the Global Centre for Good governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC). The index is a review of governments ef
The Spanish region of Galicia has effectively banned smoking in public places over concerns it increases the risk of Covid-19 transmission. It issued a blanket ban on smoking in the street and in public places, such as restaurants and bars, if social distancing is not possible. The north-western region is the first to introduce such a measure, but the Canary Islands has since followed suit. It comes as Spain faces the worst infection rate in western Europe. Daily cases have risen from fewer than 150 in June to more than 1,500 throughout August. It recorded 1,690 new cases in the latest daily count on Wednesday, bringing the country's total to almost 330,000. France bans online sales of nicot