Anti-Tobacco Campaign Against Smoking in Lagos State

Because the bothers about the high rate of cigarettes smoking and its harmful effects especially for pregnant women, the Lagos State government decided to start a new anti-smoking campaign which will help adolescents and young adults to quit smoking.

Dr. Jide Idris, the State Commissioner for Health, complained that in general tobacco is one of the leading preventable causes of impotence and death.

According to Mr. Idris, the anti-smoking campaign would focus more on protecting non-smokers and designate no smoking special areas. Another main goal is to discourage the intake and use of tax free cigarettes among young people and adults.
Idris also worried that women are being widely targeted by Tobacco Industries and tobacco advertisements, because tobacco makers have produced smoking brands for ladies and women.

Idris also suggested that tobacco use among women can cause cancers easier than in men: “Women smokers are at higher risk of developing cervical cancer, osteoporosis and other conditions of the reproductive system including infertility and early menopause. Smoking also worsens the symptoms of some conditions such as asthma, chest infections amongst others.”

Statistics show that smoking women comprise 20 percent of the World’s 1 billion smokers. And also a lot of examples of tobacco adverts and promotions targeted to women indicate that such marketing is dominated by themes of both social desirability and independence, which are conveyed through the adverts featuring slim, very attractive and athletic models. But in pregnancy, women smokers are at higher risk of failures, complications of pregnancy including bleeding during pregnancy, detachments of the placenta, premature birth and etopic pregnancy.

Dr. Idris concluded that the anti-smoking activities would be soon enforced in the State wide Campaign intervention areas which will see the ministry of health working with others ministries like Education, Justice, Youths and Information.