A meeting between senators and anti-tobacco campaigners took place to this effect in Yaounde.

An informative meeting between the Cameroon Coalition against Tobacco and senators involved in the “Champion of Tobacco Control” on the anti-tobacco law and tobacco consumption in the country took place last Saturday in Yaounde.

Speaking at the event, the coordinator of the Champion of Tobacco Control, Senator Ngalli Ngoua Pierre Henri said they are going to intensify campaigns on the negative effects of tobacco while making sure that an anti-tobacco law is effectively enacted.

During the meeting, the Permanent Secretary at the National Committee for the Fight Against Drug, Dr Magloire Awono Pascal used the opportunity to present an investigative report carried out by the Global Adult Tobacco Survey and the Global Health Tobacco Survey in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health and the National Institute which revealed that some 1,100, 000 adults are current tobacco users in Cameroon while 6,720 000 people are exposed to second-hand smoke from smokers in public places.

The senators also got to know that Cameroon is one of the countries where tobacco activities are not thoroughly controlled with its rampant use especially amongst youths.

The senators were also informed that Cameroon is one of the countries in the CEMAC zone without a national anti-tobacco law.

Senator John Wanlo was worried to know that in 2014 World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics revealed that in Cameroon, some 3500 people died because of tobacco effects.

And that today, more than one million Cameroonians are either direct or indirect consumers of tobacco.

With such an increasing prevalence rate of tobacco, the senators saw the need of an anti-tobacco law which according to Dr Magloire Awono Pascal is greatly asked by the population.

Senator John Wanlo said authorities should start putting down makeshift structures of tobacco vendors.

He added that “we are going to copy the example of Bamenda 1 where people do not smoke in the street and propose to the hierarchy to ensure that such a rule is spread throughout the country.”