Unfettered tobacco use breeding social ills

By THANDIWE MOYO

RISING cases of addiction, increasing mental disorders and unwanted pregnancies especially among the youth are a hidden threat facing Zambia due to lack of regulation of tobacco use.

The alarming numbers of people who die annually from tobacco related causes are well documented.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) country office estimates that Zambia loses about 7,100 lives to tobacco related causes every year.

However, there are less statistics about the growing mental disorders and unwanted pregnancies that are silently decimating the Zambian society owing to a lack of regulation of tobacco use.

This has caused an increase in abuse, addiction and an array of social problems, such as unwanted pregnancies especially among young people.

The growing practice of sniffing tobacco among women, which is commonly referred to ‘insunko’ (ground tobacco), and use of shisha to smoke tobacco through a bowl and a tube, are just some of the worrying trends.

A growing number of women, especially in the townships, are resorting to sniff ‘insunko’, believing that it is good for body warmth and that it gives them more energy.

This practice, which is driven by myths, has led to some women being hooked to using nicotine and tobacco without regard to the danger posed to their health.

The use of sisha has gained greater appeal among young people, especially college and university students.

Chilumba Kazembe, 18, a student at a local university in Lusaka, is one of those who has found herself fighting addiction to shisha.

Her addiction started when her friends advised her to use shisha so that she could get better grades and calm her nerves.

Ms. Kazembe, who fell for the advice, said since most pubs and shopping malls in Lusaka display shisha bowls, it was easy for her and her friends to have access to it.

Surprisingly, when she started using shisha, it did nothing to help her study. Instead, she became dependant and her addiction made her unable to study normally as she was compelled to inhale shisha often and in some cases her excitement after using shisha led her to unprotected sex.

Currently, Ms. Kazembe said she cannot stay for a long time without using shisha, and is forced to use whatever money she has to buy cigarettes to smoke in order to feed her addiction.

Ms. Kazembe advised other students not to use shisha, warning that the practice brings more harm than good to one’s life.

Ms. Kazembe urged authorities to ban the public display of shisha bowls publicly because the practice tempts teenagers under the influence of peer pressure to abuse it.

Chibemba Mwesa, 16-year-old , a resident of Bauleni Township in Lusaka, is one of the young women who has struggled with tobacco addiction through sniffing ‘insunko’.

She said she regrets that her addiction to snuff is now beyond her control.

Centre for Primary Care Research (CPCR) Senior Researcher Richard Zulu said shisha and sniffing tobacco leads to abnormalities or brain dysfunction.

Speaking in a recent interview in Lusaka, Mr. Zulu said tobacco has chemicals which, if absorbed, cause different cancers, such as cancer of the throat and damage to the brain.

Mr. Zulu said smoking shisha and sniffing ‘insunko’ has the same effects like using any other form tobacco.

Mr. Zulu warned that taken to the extreme, smoking shisha can damage mental health in some people.

Mental Health Users Network of Zambia Executive Director Silvester Katontoka described tobacco abuse as one of the causes of mental disability.

“In our programmes, we have come across a number of young people that have mental challenges due to abuse and addiction of tobacco substances,” he said, adding that, “We understand that the nicotine in tobacco is very destructive and addictive.”

Chainama Hills Hospital Spokesperson George Tafuna said addiction to tobacco causes mental illness and disorders.

Dr. Tafuna described abusing tobacco as a public nuisance that should be controlled through regulation of tobacco usage especially among adolescents if Zambia is to have a vibrant and progressive generation of young people.

Dr. Tafuna said although people who smoke cigarettes claim that it helps them to avoid anxiety and stress, the feeling of relaxation is temporary as smoking gives way to withdrawal symptoms and increased cravings and causes mental health conditions.

Dr. Tafuna said abusing tobacco puts people at risk due to addiction and mental disorders, which also increases the likelihood of such people engaging in unprotected sex, leading unwanted pregnancies especially among the youth.

Dr. Tafuna said there is need for authorities to institute measures that can help the country to control the abuse of tobacco.

Zambia National Public Health Institute (ZNPHI) Director General (DG) Professor Roma Chilengi said supporting tobacco control legislation represents an investment in the long-term health and sustainability of the Zambian people as a whole.

Professor Chilengi said investing in tobacco control measures is not only a sound public health strategy but also an economic imperative on account that the enormous healthcare costs associated with treating tobacco related illnesses puts a significant burden on healthcare systems and taxpayers.

Zambia ratified the World Health Organisation- Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

(WHO –FCTC) in 2008 and the Tobacco Control Bill (TCB) has been under the process of development for several years.

But the journey of the TCB has faced numerous points of subtle delay generally caused by resistance from the tobacco industry which sights “lack of consultation” as an excuse for not supporting the TCB.

The tobacco industry, which claims that the TCB will cripple the economy and stop tobacco production, says regulating the use of tobacco is an attack on tobacco farming and production.

The TCB provides for the regulation of tobacco products and seeks to promote public health protection measures which will align the country’s tobacco control law with the WHO.

The CPCR senior researcher says the TCB aims to protect the present and future generations from the devastating effects of tobacco use.

Mr. Zulu said the tobacco control measures aim to control availability, affordability and also exposure of non-smokers to second hand smoke.

“The enactment of the Tobacco Products and Nicotine Products Control Bill would result in strict measures, including more stringent bans on tobacco advertising, higher cigarette taxes, the introduction of warning labels, anti-tobacco mass media campaigns, plain packaging of tobacco products, and bans on smoking in public places, which are all in line with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control,” he said.

The WHO Country Representative for Zambia Nathan Bakyaita says Zambia loses 7,100 lives to tobacco related causes every year.

This loss is estimated to be around K2.8 billion (US$165 million) by Tobacco Control Data Initiative.

 

Added to this loss are the rising cases of mental disability and mental disorders driven by tobacco abuse and dependency, as well as the  cases of unwanted pregnancies which are becoming common among young people.

 

These equally call for the enactment of the tobacco control legislation which will help to monitor tobacco use and protect people’s lives .

 

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