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Esner Vellos, Director NDACC
"This year because it falls on a Sunday in a Saturday control council who is responsible to advocate for the reduction of the demand of tobacco consumption decided that we are going to do it for today the 29th of May so, we will be able to invite the schools and the community in general to come and see and get informed about the effects of tobacco high and also to know more about the theme that we're celebrating this year which is to stop the illicitly of tobacco. The global lead tobacco survey of 2014 has estimated 12.3% of our young people between the ages of 12 and 15 who are already consuming tobacco so for us as the national council this information is very important so that we will be able to address the issue of tobacco among our young people because we're seeing that more young individuals are starting to consume tobacco at an early age."

Reporter
"Is the message getting out the general public, the youths that tobacco is not good for health? As far as in that is concerned unaware."

Esner Vellos, Director NDACC
"Well the fact that the Belize City High School survey indicates that tobacco is the third most consumed substance and it has reduced that means that we are doing something that the message is getting there and the way how we are doing it is that we are designing programs are evidence based, programs that are monitored and evaluated in a manner that would have a bigger impact in our communities and the way how we go about doing this program is that we don't only go to the school or you should not take a cigarette or you should not go purchase a cigarette but we show the community at large the effects that tobacco has."

The director also told us that the organization has changed ITS approach to sensitize the public by using visually arresting aids and artistry. He explained to us that the campaign against tobacco use has been more successful:

Esner Vellos, Director NDACC
"All of our officers are very fairly young individuals and they come with a lot of creativity. For example, this year we're doing more visual rather than the usual, come let me talk to you let me tell you what tobacco is all about but we will show them videos. The schools that are coming are very must going and seeing that we are showing them how the lungs look after so many years of consuming or how tobacco individual speaks after the individual has a throat infection or a throat disease causes by tobacco. These are powerful images that these young people especially the primary school students take with them. I was speaking to one of the students that came in and he was telling me that his mother smokes, his brother smokes, his father smokes and I told the students what will you do now that you know the effects of tobacco? The individual said, well I will go and tell them that I saw a lung and how a lung looks after they smoke. So, these are the things that we try to utilize."

So, what about those E-Cigarettes? Viewers may have noticed that they have caught on with the smokers as a supposedly healthier alternative to ordinary cigarettes. The Director told us the business owners have been selling the customers a fancy placebo which is hazardous as an ordinary cigarette:

Esner Vellos, Director NDACC
"The global tobacco survey of 2014 estimates that approximately 6.5% of young people between the ages of 12 and 15 consume e-cigarettes and yes, the industry marketing mechanism is selling out the idea that e-cigarette is something that can be used to reduce consumption of regular tobacco but that is not so. Medically and scientifically it has proven that e-cigarettes contain as equal amounts of carcinogens and equal amounts of chemicals that do affect you the only thing that changed is the presentation of the cigarette. Its electronic, it's smokeless and it provides aerosol and it has a nice little fragrance but that nice fragrance is a disguise that the e-cigarette has in our community. So, I urge the people of our country to be a little more cautious."

Reporter
"So, you're saying that e-cigarette is basically a placebo. Its selling you a dream but you are not getting the result at the end of the day."

Esner Vellos, Director NDACC
"It's a fancy placebo. It's a placebo that looks good to everybody especially to the younger population but you're not young all your life. At any given point you get older and if consume either e-cigarette or your regular cigarettes you will have a negative effect eventually."