According to the Centers for Disease Control, tobacco use causes nearly 6 million deaths around the world every year, and that's going up to more than 8 million deaths by the year 2030. Now, in Belize, tobacco is considered the third most consumed substance in the country.
It is on this platform that on May 31st countries around the world celebrate "World No Tobacco Day." In Belize the activities to commemorate this annual awareness campaign were lead by National Drug Abuse Control Council. This morning we stopped by their office in Belize City, and learned more about this world anti-tobacco movement.
D'Alessandro Requena, Chairman, World No Tobacco Day
"In Belize, Tobacco smoking is the 3rd most consumed substance. Today May the 31st is World Tobacco Day and so we are trying to educate the community and public about what NDACC is doing and also about tobacco consumption and what's happening in Belize."
Emanuel Pech
"Okay now let's just say if I am a smoker, how would you convince me to stop smoking?"
D'Alessandro Requena, Chairman, World No Tobacco Day
"Well you have to look at the facts and what it does to you. It causes cancer, it blackens your teeth, it causes wrinkles, emphysema, if you're asthmatic and it will do your body damage."
Dr. Luis Roberto Escoto, PAHO/WHO Belize Representative
"We are very concerned about the discretion of tobacco. It's an epidemic that's increasing in the world. Many country has a big problem with tobacco. Every year around 6 million people die by causes of consumed tobacco."
Emanuel Pech
"Talk to us about the theme and how it is relevant to today's fight against tobacco."
Dr. Luis Roberto Escoto, PAHO/WHO Belize Representative
"This day we permit to highlight dangers that are harmful of tobacco and to encourage the people to quit tobacco consumption. The government also to implement... to control the consumption of tobacco in the country."
Esnor Vellos, Director of NDACC, MOH
"The National Drug Abuse Control Council is the focal point entity for the World Health Organization when it comes to anything that has to do with addressing the issue of tobacco in the country of Belize. As a country, we are a signatory of the convention of framework tobacco control and that framework guides us in terms of what we need to do so as to reduce consumptions, so as to increase taxation so as to be able to do exactly what we are celebrating today."
The bill is being drafted by the CARICOM Regional Organization for Standards and Quality (CROSQ), through the Belize Bureau of standards and according to Vellos it is scheduled to go into full effect within next 5 years.
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