Deyalsingh: I used to smoke

IT IS NOT something he is proud of, but Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh used to smoke in primary school.

He admitted this at the sitting of the Senate on Tuesday, when motions were filed to amend the Tobacco Control Act, which would allow for Government to print graphic images on cigarette packs to deter people from smoking.

He said allowing the images would reduce incidents of smoking and second-hand smoke and reinforce the message that smoking is unhealthy.

“(I did it) until my mother caught me smoking and put the cut-tail of my life on me. I stopped because I fell into bad company, and I never started back.”

Deyalsingh said despite the widespread information and the millions of deaths worldwide caused by diseases linked to smoking, including lung cancer, cancer of the mouth, the throat and others, about 93 per cent of the world’s population still lives in countries that are not covered by 100 per cent smoke-free public-health regulations.

He said between January 2013 and December 2017 there were 641 deaths attributed to lung cancer brought on by smoking. Most of the deaths occurred in the age group 50-64.

He said 40 people died from lung cancer between the ages 50 and 54, 105 people between 55 and 59, and 126 between  60 and 64.

“So 275 people in the prime of their lives died because of smoking between 2013 and 2017. That simply puts into context what we are up against.”

Deyalsingh added that cigarettes contain over 4,000 harmful chemicals including cyanide, nail polish remover, turpentine, industrial solutions and DDT.

Deyalsingh said the images would cover half of one side of the cigarette package. While regulations do not stipulate a time in which the packages must have the information, Deyalsingh said, through consultation with Witco and the Attorney General, the regulations will come into force a year after the new regulations are passed in Parliament and images were handed over to Witco.

He said Witco was given the one-year period to adjust printing machines to print the images.