Kenya joins world in commemorating World No Tobacco Day

Tobacco Kenya is Tuesday joining the rest of the world in commemorating World  No Tobbaco Day.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is now calling on countries to get ready for plain packaging in order to reduce the number of people smoking tobacco.
 According to Kenya’s WHO representative Dr Nathan Bakyaita, six million people die due to second hand smoking.

Dr Bakyaita said WHO will continue to support Kenya in the fight against tobacco.
Speaking at the same event NACADA Chairman John Mututho blamed the county governments for failing to implement laws that were meant to curb the use of tobacco .
Tobacco is a major cause of  most non-communicable diseases. 18% of adults use tobacco products and 1 in 5 Kenyans are exposed to second-hand smoking.

This Year’s theme is “Get ready for plain packing’.
“Plain packaging is an important demand reduction measure that reduces the attractiveness of tobacco products, restricts use of tobacco packaging as a form of tobacco advertising and promotion, limits misleading packaging and labelling, and increases the effectiveness of health warnings. Plain packaging of tobacco products refers to measures that restrict or prohibit the use of logos, colours, brand images or promotional information on packaging other than brand names and product names displayed in a standard colour and font style,” said WHO in a statement released Tuesday.

Australia was the first country in the world to fully implement plain packaging, a decision from December 2012 that was challenged by Philip Morris International.
The maker of brands such as Marlboro and L&M lost the case in December 2015, and other countries — the United Kingdom, France and Ireland — passed similar laws in early 2016.