As the spotlight falls on breast cancer this October, it's time to give our teens even more reason not to light up. Research indicates that adolescent breast tissue is particularly vulnerable to the carcinogenic properties of tobacco. Considering the high incidence of breast cancer in South Africa, (lifetime risk of 1 in 26 women) and the fact that over 16% of young learners smoke, we must find ways to stop girls from becoming hooked on nicotine, says Lorraine Govender of the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA). Govender cites the UK-based Generations study, a large cohort study published in Breast Cancer Research, which has linked early smoking to a significantly increased risk of br
Health organisations forming the #protectournext movement have called for a 100% increase in tobacco tax ahead of the mid-term budget speech next week. A significant increase can make tobacco products less affordable, reducing consumption, improving public health, reducing the already heavy burden on the health system and adding to state revenue, say the National Council Against Smoking (NCAS), CANSA, the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and the Heart and Stroke Foundation SA. The 2020 tobacco excise tax increase announced in February was 74c per pack of 20, lower than 2019 (R1.14) and 2018 (R1.22). “These small tax increases below inflation actually end up making cigarettes m
According to the Department of Finance, South Africa’s economy will contract by 7.2% this year, the largest contraction in over 80 years.
A needs to move fast to diffuse the ticking time bomb that is harming children in the form of vaping and e-cigarettes.