Public hearings on Tobacco Bill in Western Cape concludes

The Portfolio Committee on Health recently concluded hearings on the Tobacco Bill and Electronic Delivery Systems Control in the Western Cape. The committee says the majority of the residents in the George Municipality supported the intentions and benefits of the bill.

PICTURE: Pixabay

Supporters stated that the prevalence of products, such as hookah pipes and vapes, is increasingly enticing young people and exposing them to harm.

Meanwhile, some residents argued that the bill would prove detrimental to the economy, ending the tobacco industry and resulting in unemployment.

Small-scale traders also had concerns that the prohibition on the sale of single-stick cigarettes will have a devastating impact on their livelihoods.

The National Informal Traders Alliance of South Africa (NITASA) has strongly reaffirmed its opposition to the proposed Bill. President of NITASA, Rosheda Muller, said that the Bill is being rushed back into Parliament despite not having undergone thorough scrutiny by the new government and parliamentary committees

 “This is a new government and a new Parliament. Many of the current committee members have not been part of previous discussions and are unaware of the concerns we raised in the last parliamentary cycle. This Bill should not simply be revived without proper consideration of the impact that it will have on a vast section of the economy.’’

 

Done by: Shaneca Cupido