EASTERN Province Deputy Permanent Secretary, Lewis Mwape, has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to enhancing tobacco control in the country.

Dr Mwape says tobacco use remains one of the leading preventable causes of illnesses and deaths worldwide.

He was speaking when he officiated at the Eastern Province Dialogue meeting on the advocacy for tobacco free society, organised by the Youth in Action Coalition.

Dr Mwape noted that the devastating effects of tobacco on health were well documented and it was disturbing that the impact affected young people.

“It is our collective duty to shield the young people from this public health crisis. It is particularly troubling that these impacts are increasingly affecting the young people,” he said.

Dr Mwape noted that the tobacco control bill represented a critical opportunity to address the challenges, saying once enacted, the bill would introduce key measures to reduce tobacco use, especially among the youth.

The Deputy Permanent Secretary observed that the bill would regulate the sale of tobacco products, ban advertising and promotional tactics that targeted young people.

Alliance for Accountability Advocates Zambia (AAAZ) Programmes Officer, Melbourne Mushitu, said her organisation, which was working with Youth in Action Coalition, engaged members of society to support the enactment of the tobacco control bill in Zambia.

Ms Mushitu said the enactment of the bill would deter young people from engaging in tobacco use and that it was the reason the Youth in Action Coalition sought an audience with stakeholders in the province to help advocate for the enactment of the legislation.