Experts urge better implementation of Tobacco Control Law

The Union of Mongolian Pupils, Mongolian Parents’ Association and School Police Center called on the public to prevent and reduce smoking among young people for World No Tobacco Day, annually observed on May 31.

“Please ban underage smoking through the law. The Tobacco Control Law only specifies no smoking areas. It could be interpreted that children and teenagers can smoke outside of these specified no smoking areas. It’s highly possible that parents will resort to violence when they catch their children smoking despite the fact that they didn’t warn them not to spoke in the first place,” stated B.Altanjoloo, the Head of the Mongolian Parents’ Association.

The Union of Mongolian Pupils, Mongolian Parents’ Association and School Police Center are planning to open a Children’s Enlightenment and Education Center to distribute educational information and organize training workshops to prevent all kinds of bad habits children are susceptible to.

Secretary of the School Police Center G.Tugsuu noted, “The law prohibits selling cigarettes within 500-meter radius of school grounds. Yet, the law isn’t being enforced. Cigarettes are sold within 200-meter radius of schools. I urge law enforcement agencies to resolve this sort of problems.”

The three organizations called for the following actions:

• Amend the Tobacco Control Law to ban the selling of cigarettes to minors • Establish an accountability system that holds parents accountable if their underage child is caught smoking and make the child understand the negative impacts of smoking through special seminars

• Ensure that cigarettes aren’t sold within or near school grounds, require cigarettes to be sold in packs only, and revoke licenses to retail tobacco products of venders caught selling cigarettes to minors

• Draft a program and a general policy to ensure the implementation of the Tobacco Control Law through school police and parents on patrol

The theme for this year’s World No Tobacco Day is “Tobacco – A Threat to Development”, which proposes measures that governments and the public should take to promote health and development by confronting the global tobacco crisis.

More men and women die due to smoking in Mongolia on average than in other middleincome countries, according to the Tobacco Atlas. In particular, 23.7 percent of deaths among men and 10.4 percent of deaths among women were attributed to smoking in Mongolia in 2010. The Tobacco Atlas reports that in 2013, 45 percent of men and 6.3 percent of women in Mongolia smoke on a daily basis.

“Even though fewer women smoke on average in Mongolia than on average in middle-income countries, still 65,700 women still smoke cigarettes each day, the sign of an ongoing and dire public health threat,” the Tobacco Atlas stated.

As for smoking among children, the Tobacco Atlas’ 2013 study shows that more boys smoke in Mongolia than on average in middleincome countries, while two percent of girls smoke on a daily basis. Experts warned that although fewer girls, specifically 1,100 girls, smoke cigarettes, it still poses serious threat of ongoing and dire health problems.

A tobacco control policy is an excellent investment in the health of a country’s population. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), for less than 230 MNT per person per year, Mongolia will be able to pay for the four “best buys” in tobacco control policy, raising tobacco excise taxes, enforcing a comprehensive national smoke-free law and a ban on tobacco advertising and promotion, and mandating large graphic warning labels on tobacco product packaging. This small investment will reap enormous dividends in health and prosperity, according to WHO.

Currently, smoking is prohibited in healthcare facilities, universities, government facilities, indoor offices, restaurants, pubs and bars, public transport, and other indoor public areas in Mongolia.