Ghanaians advised to resist tobacco industry influence on public health policies

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Ghanaians advised to resist tobacco industry influence on public health policies

Ghanaians have been advised to remain vigilant and cautious of potential interference strategies employed by the tobacco industry in public health policies. Labram M. Musah, the Executive Director of Programmes at the Vision for Alternative Development (VALD-Ghana), emphasized this during a strategic stakeholder engagement aimed at enhancing the capacity of (CSOs) to counteract tobacco industry interference.

Organized by VALD-Ghana and supported by Vital Strategies, the program introduced CSOs to the ongoing six-month “STOP Tobacco Interference Project,” designed to monitor the implementation of the Excise Duty Amendment Act. The act, passed by and signed into law in 2023, aims to regulate the consumption of health-harming products such as tobacco, alcohol, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), while also generating tax revenue for the government.

Mr. Musah highlighted the shared interference strategies among the three health-harming industries – tobacco, alcohol, and SSBs. These strategies, he noted, are often disseminated from global transnational giants to regional and national industry actors.

Some of the identified strategies include manipulating the media to distract from tobacco control initiatives, shaping public opinion through public relations, and using the media to promote industry-friendly positions while attempting to undermine scientific messages. Other tactics involve establishing inappropriate relationships with policymakers, lobbying, intimidation through legal and economic power, and funding false scientific studies to create doubt about the health effects of tobacco use.

Mr. Musah urged CSOs to be vigilant, monitor the tobacco industry, and strategically use evidence to counter interference. He emphasized the importance of truth-telling through “champions,” learning from international experiences, exposing myths, and refuting industry arguments.

The ongoing project, titled “Debunking and Exposing the Tobacco Industry Interference in the Passage of the Excise Reform Tax in Ghana,” seeks to empower CSOs in the fight against industry interference and promote effective tobacco control measures.

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