Anti-smoking bill, which seeks among other things to regulate smoking in public places in Ghana is expected to be ready for submission to parliament soon, Dr James Tepre, secretary to the National Tobacco Steering Committee has announced.

Speaking on the topic, "the need for national legislation on tobacco use in Ghana", at an anti-tobacco awareness campaign organised by the Consumer Concerns Initiative (CCI) for students of Mawuli Secondary School at Ho on Saturday, he said the bill proposed, among others, a ban on all forms of cigarette advertisements, significant increase in tax on cigarettes to make the product very expensive and deterring adults from engaging children under 18 years to buy or sell cigarettes.

Dr Tepre said tobacco multi-nationals have targeted sub-Sahara Africa as a new and lucrative market frontier because of the stringent legislation's and increasing awareness being marshalled against them in developed countries.

He said the youth are particularly at risk because they are being targeted through activities such as sponsorships, scholarships and advertisements, which are exploiting their youthful exuberance and ignorance about the ill effects of smoking.

Dr Tepre, who is also the manager of non-communicable diseases at the Ministry of Health (MOH) warned the students that the brain of the smoker becomes nicotine dependent and unhelpful for sound academic work. Dr Tepre warned that the feeling of exhalation and fulfilment by cigarette smokers are fantasies, because unlike other consumable items, cigarettes give no benefits to the body but rather destroy it.

He said while cigarette smoking related diseases and HIV/AIDS are the major killers in the world, cigarette smoking is more dangerous because a non-smoker who inhale cigarette smoke regularly face equal heath risks as smokers, which is not the case with those who stay with those suffering from HIV/AIDS.

Dr Tepre therefore, advised the students to make personal commitments to quit or avoid smoking and smokers. "We want you to be future leaders, not future liabilities", he said. Speaking on the topic: "the global tobacco menace - what the youth must know," Miss Sophia Twum-Barima of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Ghana, said tobacco, which is poisonous has no safe level in cigarettes.

She said there are thousands of dangerous substances in tobacco, which cause cancer in those who smoke cigarette. Miss Twum-Barima said a survey conducted by the WHO in Ghana in 2000 showed that 14 per cent of the youth were smoking cigarettes while 4.5 per cent more have taken on the habit by this year.

She said cigarette producers know that cigarette smoking poses several health risks to both smokers and those who stay close to them, but adopt marketing strategies, which seeks to make it seem as if it is safe and glamorous to smoke.

Miss Twum-Barima said the WHO is therefore, spearheading the campaign to draw the attention of the world population, especially the youth to the dangers of smoking. Miss Twum-Barima said it is unproductive to give judgement on those who are addicted to smoking, instead they need to be encouraged to be assertive. She appealed to the students to avoid smoking cigarettes and for those smoking to take a resolute decision and quit the practice.

They should also educate and encourage their friends to avoid smoking. She said, since the youth form the potential future market for the cigarette multinationals, "your abstinence will deny them the lucrative market they require to be in business". Mr Winfred Bonsi, headmaster of the school, who presided, urged the students not to jeopardise their academic work and future by smoking.