Selling single cigarette sticks illegal – FDA

The Upper East Regional Office of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) says the sale of single cigarette stick is illegal in Ghana.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga, Mr Abel Ndego, the Acting Regional Head of the FDA, explained that cigarettes must only be sold in sealed packs and not as individual sticks.

“Per the provisions of the law, it is illegal to sell single sticks of cigarettes to any person,” he said.

Mr Ndego explained that the requirement was intended to ensure that consumers were exposed to the mandatory health warnings displayed on cigarette packaging.

“A single stick does not provide enough space for us to display legible warning signs. Cigarettes are therefore required to be sold in packs, which carry the approved health warnings,” he noted.

According to him, all registered cigarette brands were required to display pictorial health warnings on their packaging.

“We have realized that written inscriptions alone do not effectively communicate the dangers of tobacco use. When people see actual images of damaged lungs, rotten teeth, cancerous lips and other tobacco-related health conditions, they are better able to appreciate the risks associated with smoking,” he said.

Mr Ndego urged retailers and shop owners to comply with the law, emphasizing that the sale of single cigarette sticks remained prohibited.

He also expressed concern about the influx of unregistered tobacco products into the region through porous borders.

“Because of the porosity of our borders, some recalcitrant individuals take advantage of the situation to smuggle unregistered tobacco products into the region,” he stated.

The Acting Regional Head indicated that the FDA was working closely with security agencies to curb the practice and prevent the circulation of unregistered tobacco products.

He added that the Authority's enforcement teams regularly patrol commercial centres and conducted inspections to ensure that unregistered tobacco products did not find their way onto the market.

Mr Ndego noted that routine inspections and stakeholder engagements had contributed to a high level of compliance with tobacco regulations in the region and called for continued public support to help achieve a tobacco-free society.

“Through sustained enforcement and regulatory measures, we have achieved a significant level of compliance. I can confidently say that the region is recording very good compliance with tobacco control regulations,” he said.

GNA