WITH the success of Baguio’s anti-smoking efforts, the local government is now eyeing the possibility of implementing a “generational ban” similar to what other countries like New Zealand and Malaysia have put into place.
Dr. Nelson Hora, lead researcher of a study that evaluated the effectiveness of anti-smoking measures in Baguio, La Trinidad, and Buguias, said in a recent forum that Baguio had the highest level of compliance with said measures, and therefore the highest effectivity of cutting down on smoking within its borders.
According to the city epidemiologist, Dr. Donnabel Tubera-Panes, who was also part of the research project, the city saw its smoker population decline to single digits of nine percent of the local populace as early as 2022, and have continued to decline since.
Additionally, Baguio saw the lowest exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, or secondhand smoke from other individuals, with a peak of 10 percent exposure in public places, according to Panes.
With the continued single-digit percentage of smokers in the local populace, Panes said that the city is now ready to implement a generational ban.
Generational bans are a blanket ban on the purchase of tobacco products defined by the birthdate of the buyer as opposed to age, allowing a government to fully outlaw purchase of tobacco products for all past a certain date of birth, essentially locking said products to only the older generations.
Other countries have attempted to implement such a ban, and a city in Bataan in the Philippines has issued a similar law, which has been challenged in court on grounds of constitutionality.
