37% of those over the age of 15 smoke
8% of people aged 15 and older smoke
Most smoke between one and one cigarette a day
Smoking has declined since 1998
$790 million generated in government revenue from tobacco use in the subsequent fiscal year
South Africa’s lockdown regulations are among the strictest in the world and also include a ban on the sale of alcohol.
This measure will be eased from June 1, allowing other people to buy alcohol to consume at home and “only under strict conditions, on fast days and at limited times,” according to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
However, he added that the ban on the sale of cigarettes is due to “the health hazards associated with smoking. “
The government justified the ban on smoking on fitness grounds, based on the recommendations of its own medical experts, as well as the World Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO said that while studies are still ongoing, there is an explanation for why smokers would be more affected than non-smokers if they contract Covid-19.
According to a 2016 government survey, more than one million South Africans over the age of 15 smoke and burn billions of cigarettes a year.
“While I understand the health reasons that have been discussed now, I would like the opportunity to know when and how to control my smoking, especially as someone who also smokes, to control my anxiety outside of medical treatment. I think the ban is excessive “Michelle said.
He also believes that the recent push for the underground industry poses more health risks.
The black market seller is “someone who has potentially affected dozens of other people looking to sell their cigarettes,” the young professional explained.
More than a million people have signed an online petition calling on the government to change its mind.
“We have not obtained any clinical evidence for a tobacco ban,” wrote Bev Maclean, who filed the petition.
“With the ban on legal sales of tobacco products, consumers are turning to the illegal market and paying high costs for cigarettes, usually illicit, that do not pay taxes to the government. “
In the last monetary year, South Africa’s tax collecting company collected about $790 million (£650 million) from tobacco sales. A two-month ban could cost the government about $132 million in lost revenue.
Some argue that this ban is unconstitutional.
The Fair Trade Independent Tobacco Association (Fita), which represents the interests of companies and smokers, took the matter to court and argued that the ban resolution was taken without the proper legal framework.
Fita is frustrated by what he described as an “inexplicable U-turn” by the government.
On April 23, President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a national address that tobacco sales would be allowed when the country eased lockdown restrictions for the first time.
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The Effect of Alcohol and Cigarette Ban in South Africa During the Lockdown
Six days later, the minister in charge of fighting the coronavirus, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, announced that the ban would be maintained, disappointing many smokers.
“Obviously there has to be an explanation as to why the president . . . states in an obvious and unequivocal manner: ‘The sale of cigarettes will be allowed,'” Fita chairman Sinenlanhla Mnguni wrote in court documents.
“It is unlikely that the president would have made this commitment without consultation and without a mandate. “
Fita to see the newspapers that motivated the government’s 180-degree turn.
But the government is not giving in. Explaining the U-turn, President Ramaphosa said that “the government is doing everything imaginable to act in a way that promotes the rights to life and dignity of all our people. “
The government claims that by quitting smoking, or even quitting smoking, you increase your chances of recovery from coronavirus.
There are general benefits to fitness.
“Science indicates that smokers start benefiting from quitting within hours of quitting,” explained Dr. Sullivan. Catherine Egbe, who works in the alcohol, tobacco and drugs unit of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC). ).
“A smoker’s heart rate improves, the carbon monoxide in the blood returns to normal, and within two weeks to three months, the risk of a heart attack decreases and the pulmonary system begins to improve,” he told the BBC.
Dr. Egbe is one of the scientists who publicly supported the tobacco ban.
“Although we know that the worst is yet to pass, existing statistics show that the country may be doing something right.
“The pressure facing government comes from those who need to prioritize profit over human lives,” Dr. Egbe said.
Along with SAMRC, the South African Cancer Association and the South African Heart and Stroke Foundation, along with many other fitness bodies, the ban.
And it turns out that other people take advantage of this time to try to quit smoking.
“We’ve noticed a doubling of the number of calls we’re getting on our quit line,” said Savera Kalideen, executive director of the National Anti-Tobacco Council.
There has also been an increase in “requests for support to register for our WhatsApp group, which provides 30 days of support, recommendations and messages to smokers who need to quit. “
Michelle is not giving up, but she has cut back.
“Funnily enough, I smoke a lot more than I did before lockdown.
“Now I smoke an average of two cigarettes a day, whereas before I smoked an average of six or seven. It’s not a conscious choice to be fit,” he said.
“I think it’s basically because I’m running away from home, so a part of my old routine, smoking on the way to and from the frames and in the frames, has been disrupted. “
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