Arresting smokers

The authorities in Meru county, Kenya, have announced plans to arrest people smoking in public, according to a story in The Star.
Meru is one of four counties in Kenya that grow tobacco; the others being Bungoma, Migori and Busia.
Meru Health executive Eunice Kobia said yesterday that the move was part of the county’s resolve to regulate tobacco use.
“At least one in every five men use tobacco,” Kobia said. “It is sad that smoking is part of the lifestyle of most of our youths.”
Kobia said that smokers had ignored designated zones and were instead smoking in public places, including in minibuses, and at social gatherings and enclosed markets.
“Residents are not aware of the effects of tobacco,” she said as she flagged off a lorry with a public-address system to campaign against tobacco use in Meru town.
Kobia said the county would ‘rehabilitate’ cigarette smokers. “They should not fear coming forward,” she added. “We will help them to change.”
Meanwhile, Kobia urged farmers to abandon tobacco in favor of other crops.
Kenya Tobacco Control Board director Mary Muthoni praised Meru for its awareness campaign against tobacco use.
Muthoni urged the county to allocate more funds to fight tobacco use, and she urged it to create youth-friendly centers to encourage people to seek rehabilitation.