4 days ago
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The Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW), in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), hosted a media sensitization on the National Tobacco Control Bill this morning at the Grand Resort & Residence just after 7 am. The Bill is set to be tabled by the Minister of Health and Wellness, Hon. Kevin Bernard, in the National Assembly at today’s House of Representatives meeting. The Bill has been in development since 2014, following Belize’s signing of the 2005 World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Esner Vellos, Director of the National Drug Abuse Council, spoke on the Primary focus of the Bill.
Esner Vellos, Director of the National Drug Abuse Council : “For the first time we will be regulating the sale of tobacco products to minors, right? The bill calls for no products to be sold to miners and ensuring that um once these provisions are broken by any establishment that defines will be safe to ensure that we continue protecting our younger population. Apart from the the protection of our younger population and non-smokers and smokers, we’re looking at ensuring that there is plain packaging. We want to ensure that Belize becomes a country that do not have any type of packaging. What we are going to start with is that we want to have more than 50 % of the packaging of tobacco products that would provide health warnings, that would show what are the dangers of these products.”
As the population continues to grow, with an approximation of 417,634 (SIB 2025) residents, one in every four youth ages 13-15 is more likely to use an e-cigarette, putting non-smokers at risk of inhaling dangerous chemicals as a secondhand smoker. Director Vellos spoke of the framework for public sensitization that will be adopted for the Bill, which is already in practice by the MOHW.
Esner Vellos, Director of the National Drug Abuse Council : “We need to be mindful that even though we have not had a Tobacco control bill, the work of the Ministry of Health and Wellness has always been for the protection of our population and through the National Drug Abuse Control Council, the Ministry of Health has been working tirelessly to ensure that the information is out there about the dangers of tobacco products, not only in terms of the dangers it has to adults, but also to the younger population because it is important to ensure that the younger population are aware of these harmful effects.”
The Ministry of Health and Wellness in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organization hosted a media sensitization on the National Tobacco Control Bill this morning at the Grand Resort & Residence ahead of today’s House meeting
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