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The Member of Parliament for the North Dayi Constituency, Hon. Joycelyn Quashie, has encouraged the Government of Ghana to rise up and develop policies and strategies that seek to protect its citizens against tobacco industry manipulators.
She emphasised that Ghana should be counted among the nations that stood firm in the face of manipulation and chose to protect her people.
Contributing on the floor of Parliament on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day, May 31, 2025, she underscored, the World Health Organization (WHO) and public health advocates across the globe united under a bold and timely theme: “Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products.”
According to the North Dayi MP, this year’s campaign aims to reveal the strategies employed by the tobacco and nicotine industries to make their harmful products enticing, particularly to young people.
By exposing these tactics, Hon. Quashie highlighted that “WHO seeks to drive awareness, advocate for stronger policies, including a ban on flavours that make tobacco and nicotine products more appealing, and protect public health,” she stated.
Cautioning Ghanaians, especially the youth, not to be dissuaded by the packaging and attractive flavours of these tobacco products, she highlighted that behind the shiny packaging, attractive flavours, and sleek advertisements lies a multi-billion-dollar industry that is unrelenting in its efforts to recruit the next generation of consumers — our children, our youth. “This is not simply a public health issue; it is a matter of national development, social justice, and intergenerational equity”, the MP stressed.
Hon. Quashie revealed that with the declining consumer numbers in their traditional markets, the tobacco industry has shifted its gaze towards our youth, and our young people are at the center of their strategy. “They use digital platforms, influencers, giveaways, and misleading “harm reduction” claims to paint smoking and vaping as trendy, modern, and even harmless,” she emphasized.
Her statement concluded, “Let Ghana be counted among the nations that stood firm in the face of manipulation and chose to protect her people”.
Below is the full statement on the floor of Parliament:
STATEMENT BY HON. JOYCELYN QUASHIE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR NORTH DAYI ON THE OCCASION OF WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY – 31ST MAY 2025
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join the global community in marking World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), commemorated annually on the 31st of May. This year, the World Health Organization and public health advocates across the globe unite under a bold and timely theme: “Unmasking the Appeal: Exposing Industry Tactics on Tobacco and Nicotine Products.” This year’s campaign aims to reveal the strategies employed by the tobacco and nicotine industries to make their harmful products enticing, particularly to young people. By exposing these tactics, WHO seeks to drive awareness, advocate for stronger policies, including a ban on flavours that make tobacco and nicotine products more appealing, and protect public health.
Mr. Speaker, behind the shiny packaging, the attractive flavours, and the sleek advertisements lies a multi-billion-dollar industry that is unrelenting in its efforts to recruit the next generation of consumers — our children, our youth. This is not simply a public health issue; it is a matter of national development, social justice, and intergenerational equity.
The tobacco industry, facing declining numbers in traditional markets, has shifted its gaze towards our youth, and our young people are at the center of their strategy. They use digital platforms, influencers, giveaways, and misleading “harm reduction” claims to paint smoking and vaping as trendy, modern, and even harmless.
Mr. Speaker, all around us, the tobacco industry is glamorizing smoking and using deceptive marketing, all in a bid to lure our young ones into smoking. But we know better. Mr. Speaker, we know that tobacco remains one of the leading preventable causes of death globally. In Ghana, the burden of tobacco-related diseases is rising quietly but steadily — heart disease, cancer, chronic respiratory illnesses — all of which strain our already fragile health system.
The tactics employed by these companies are both predatory and deceptive. They sponsor youth events, target our youth with subtle advertising, and introduce flavoured products that mask the harshness of nicotine. They fund misleading research, lobby policymakers, and co-opt the language of health to evade regulation. Our television screens are flooded with movies which portray E-cigarettes, shisha and cigar as status icon for the ultra-rich or luxury signaling for elite characters. It is time we unmask these tactics and protect our people — especially the youth — from manipulation.
Mr. Speaker, we must be deeply concerned about the increasing normalisation of nicotine products — particularly e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products — under the guise of innovation and choice. Let us be clear: there is no safe level of tobacco or nicotine use. The idea that new products are somehow less harmful is not only scientifically questionable, but also morally irresponsible when marketed to young people. Mr. Speaker, I wouldn’t want to bog you down with too much facts and figures except this one that: According to the US National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, a single cigarette contains over 4,800 chemicals, 69 of which are known to cause cancer while secondhand smoke contains over 7,000 chemicals, including 70 cancer-causing chemicals.
As we mark World No Tobacco Day today, I call on this Honourable House to:
1. Support the full implementation and enforcement of the Public Health Act (Act 851), especially provisions relating to tobacco control.
2. Strengthen regulations on the marketing and sale of new tobacco and nicotine products, including a ban on advertising and flavoured products that appeal to youth.
3. Increase public education on the dangers of tobacco and nicotine use, particularly in our schools and communities.
4. Expand rehabilitation centres in line with our broader developmental and health goals.
Mr. Speaker, tobacco is not just killing our people — it is robbing families of income, robbing the nation of productivity, and robbing our youth of their future. We must not allow the profits of a few to outweigh the health and wellbeing of the many.
Let Ghana be counted among the nations that stood firm in the face of manipulation and chose to protect her people.
I thank you, Mr. Speaker for the opportunity.
