In addition to the extreme cost to your health, smoking hits your wallet. As a student, as a mom, as a young worker, as someone who wants to save money and be healthy – cigarettes should not be a line item on your budget. If you need another reason to quit smoking, think about how much of your weekly income is going up in smoke. This July Savings Month, it’s time to kick the smoking habit and save your money and your health.

E-cigarettes first emerged in the US in 2007 and have continued to evolve, with the new generation products featuring sleek, high-tech designs. These products have seen large uptake by the youth and have resulted in skyrocketing youth addiction to nicotine. Data reveals about one in five high school students in the US used e-cigarettes in 2020, many of whom were not smokers in the first place. South Africa’s health experts forming part of the #protectournext movement are sounding the alarm,  concerned that this ‘e-cigarette epidemic’ will soon take hold in South Africa if e-cigarettes are not better regulated. 

As we mark World No Tobacco Day 2021, observed each year on May 31, the National Department of Health, the World Health Organisation (WHO), civil society organisations, medical and nursing associations in South Africa have spoken about what should be done to turn the tide on tobacco harm in South Africa. 

Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, recognised that the debate on tobacco use is gaining momentum and said that the Department of Health is moving on with the legislative process. “The country is currently battling to reduce COVID-19 deaths, and working hard to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 epidemic. The relationship between COVID-19 and smoking cannot be ignored as both affect the lungs.” 

As we mark this annual milestone day, we hear from the National Department of Health, the World Health Organisation (WHO), civil society organisations, medical and nursing associations on what is being done to turn the tide on tobacco harm in South Africa.