The Authority gave a press con...

The Authority gave a press conference to media bodies regarding the 34th World No Tobacco Day.

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May 7/2018

Addis Ababa Food and Drug Authority, in collaboration with civic associations and the Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority, gave a press conference to various media bodies regarding the 39th World No Tobacco Day, which is being celebrated for the 34th time in our country and for the 39th time globally under the theme "Let's expose the addictive mechanisms of nicotine and tobacco!"

In a statement, the Authority’s Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Mulu Imebet Tadesse, explained that the Authority is working closely with various organizations, media, development partners and stakeholders to reduce the distribution and supply of tobacco in our city and to prevent smoking in public places outside the home, thereby creating a city free of tobacco smoke.

Ms. Mulu Imebet added that the Authority has taken measures to close and revoke the licenses of more than 4,000 institutions by creating awareness and awareness among the community, engaging the business community, carrying out coordinated monitoring and law enforcement activities, and taking administrative and criminal measures based on the law. In coordination with the Office of the Chief Justice, 813 individuals have been prosecuted in the fiscal year.

In addition, an independent study confirming the changes that have taken place has shown that 79% of institutions in Addis Ababa are smoke-free, the number of people who smoke openly in public has decreased significantly, food establishments, cafes and all health institutions have become completely smoke-free, and a city-wide common agenda has been created around the harmfulness of tobacco and its control.

The authorities have created smoke-free institutions and model villages in their institutions and their surroundings, and the business community has been given a wide understanding of the health problems caused by tobacco and is taking control of them, and as awareness grows, organizations are also making efforts to make their institutions smoke-free. He noted that significant progress has been made in implementing the restrictions set out in Proclamation 1112/2011 by bringing about a cross-cutting change in transportation and taxi stands, as well as in public entertainment venues.

The Deputy Director General of the Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority, Ato Seyoum Wolde, noted that the authority has achieved success in reducing tobacco use over the past decade, and explained that the tobacco industry should jointly expose the deceptive tactics used by existing smokers and new users to recruit them.

Ato Seyoum added that by exposing the false appeal of the tobacco industry and jointly preventing tobacco addiction, government bodies at all levels should do their part by closing regulatory laws and policy gaps, strengthening awareness-raising activities of civil society organizations, exposing the misleading strategies of the industry and making accurate health information available to the media, and opposing the deceptive strategies that are used by young people to trap them into addiction.