Illicit cigarette trade worsens under-age smoking
The stress he felt just a little while ago is forgotten and it seems to have vanished with each puff. For a brief moment, at least, the cigarette will free him from his cravings. He is not the only one who puffs to relieve tension. There are hundreds of young people in Botswana who are addicted to smoking, despite the various health hazards associated with it. According to medical experts, cigarette smoking affects many organs, including the brain, nervous system, eyes, blood, lungs and heart and even causes death.
However, the number of cigarette smokers, especially those that are at adolescent stage, is said to have risen sharply not only in Francistown but also in other urban centres.
The 2001 Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) indicated that tobacco-use prevalence among girls increased by 4.4 percent in 2008. According to the survey, there is an overall 14.3 percent smoking prevalence among 13-15 year-old upper primary (Standard Seven) and lower secondary (Forms one and two). About 21 percent of persons aged 15 and above are smoking in Botswana.
Smuggled cigarettes like Madison, Kingsgate, Everest, Pacific and Seville’s are some of the commonly used tobacco products. The survey further revealed that cigars are becoming fashionable in the country, adding that previously ,cigar-use was observed only among up-market consumers.
Tobacco has become a substance of choice for many young people and easy access to it, usually sold discreetly by street vendors and in some shops, has given rise to cigarette smoking – with addicts as young as 12 years old, in a country where rehabilitation resources are scarce. Smokers are mainly young people, especially those from poor families. Many teenagers usually experiment with cigarettes without realising that they can lead to addiction and eventually endangering their health.
Take 17-year-old Kabelo of Monarch area in Francistown, for example. His life changed dramatically as soon as he hit adolescence. He was once a good child with good grades – he even had a sound relationship with his mother.
While at secondary school, Kabelo found himself wanting to be friends with the “in-crowd”. They were the ones who introduced him to the smoke.
“I smoke because my friends smoke,” he said. He confirmed that he bought cigarettes from street vendors even though he was aware of its health hazards.
According to the law, children under the age of 18 are barred from using tobacco products and it is illegal to sell tobacco to them.
It is believed that there are many factors that push adolescents to tobacco use. These include insufficient parental supervision, lack of communication and interaction between young people and parents or guardians.
However, after experimenting with cigarettes, many young smokers find it difficult to quit because most become addicted to the nicotine contained in tobacco products. Nicotine has a deadly addictive power.
Information gathered from the Internet shows that, nicotine particles find their way to the lungs through inhalation.
From there, nicotine is absorbed into the bloodstream just like the oxygen people breathe in. It travels with the blood to the brain where it locks onto certain receptor areas. Dopamine is then released into the brain. This is the chemical that makes the smoker feel a euphoric sensation. “I feel some kind of relief after smoking a cigarette,” said 18-year-old Ofentse.
Dark lips and brownish teeth are telltale signs of smokers. Long-term users risk lung cancer, according to medical reports.
Bontle Mbongwe, spokesperson for the Anti-Tobacco Network (ATN), said they were aware of the fact that vendors were selling illegal tobacco products and that they also sold them to minors. “It is a tragedy that young people are exposed to an addictive substance which causes bad health, disease, disability and premature death. Police should take action against these people,” said Mbongwe.
She said tobacco use among the youth is one of their greatest challenges because “today, more than ever before, young people are exposed to a great variety of these products, some of which are illegal”. She said their investigations have revealed that there are more products out in the formal and informal market.
She added that these products are sold at cheap prices as customers can buy a packet of 20 cigarettes for P7 compared to an average cost of P27 in the formal market. Mbongwe also noted that they are currently pressuring the government to address the illicit trade of tobacco products along with other issues such as regulating the sales of tobacco products and prohibiting the sale of single tobacco products and small packets of tobacco products.
She emphasised the need for a concerted effort at national, regional and international levels to ensure that the illicit tobacco product supply and distribution chain is adequately controlled.
At the moment ATN is engaged in nationwide campaigns to sensitise the nation about the requirements of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control as well as the Control of Smoking Act. According to the Framework Convention Alliance illicit trade in cigarettes is estimated at approximately 10.7 percent of global sales, or 600 billion cigarettes annually, and that losses in government revenue as a result of illicit trade in all tobacco products total approximately U.S.$ 40 to U.S.$ 50 billion annually.
World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics reveal that tobacco caused 100-million deaths worldwide in the 20th Century.
Meanwhile, Superintendent Cyprian Magalela of Central Police said there is no week that passes without the police confiscating smuggled tobacco products. Magalela said most of the people found in possession of the goods have been fined P1, 000 for selling illegal cigarettes. He said they have on several occasions raided street vendors and found counterfeit cigarettes hidden in bags under their tables.
However, he said this is a cause for great concern because the growing illicit trade weakens the country’s economy as the culprits continue to evade tax.
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