Smoking law yet to be certified

A law on smoking in public places is yet to be certified by the Speaker of Parliament before implementation.
This is according to NCD Governor Powes Parkop yesterday when asked to comment on smoking in public places, including on PMVs.
“The law on betel nut chewing and spitting and smoking in public places has been passed by Parliament,” he said.
“They attract major fines.
“We are waiting for the law to be certified by Speaker of Parliament before we start enforcement.”
Chewing of betel nut and smoking cigarettes in public places was prohibited under the new Summary Offences Act passed by Parliament on Sept 12 of last year.
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill had said that this had become a cause of concern for many communities and citizens throughout the country.
Prohibition of Smoking of Tobacco Product Bill was done before in 2016 under the Tobacco Control Act.
The main provisions of this act were to declare certain areas smoke-free environments and to also regulate cigarette packaging to make them unattractive to prevent the sale of tobacco products to children.
O’Neill had told Parliament that rights of non-smokers must be respected.
He said that was why it was important that in public places, selling and smoking of cigarettes must be monitored.
O’Neill said people could smoke in the privacy of their homes or in declared areas where there were smoking zones or designated places.
He said the selling and buying of betel nuts were becoming a real concern for towns and communities throughout the country.
The World Health Organisation reported that Papua New Guinea has among the highest rates of oral cancer in the world, which was attributed mainly to the chewing of betel nut.