Health effects of tobacco and alcohol consumption alarming, intervention needed — Dean

Professor Sam Newton, Dean of the School of Public Health at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, says the statistics on the effects of tobacco and alcohol consumption are frightening and should not be ignored by the government.

"Every intervention designed to reduce the consumption of these harmful products, even if that means raising taxes on them, should be applauded.

"It has been said that there are two things in life which are certain: death and taxes. Therefore, if raising taxes on a harmful product can delay the onset of death, then this should be seen as a progressive step," he stated.

Prof. Newton made the remark when the Vision for Alternative Development – Ghana (VALD-Ghana) organized the maiden National Forum on Tobacco Taxation in Accra.

The forum aimed to seek feasible recommendations through which Ghana’s tobacco taxation could be comprehensively aligned with global standards, particularly those outlined by the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.