Kampala defends new tobacco law

The Ugandan Government has defended the passing of a law that restricts and regulates the consumption of tobacco and tobacco-related products before the Constitutional Court. It has been joined by the Centre for Health, Human Rights and Development which has also applied to defend the Tobacco Control Law on behalf of the general public. The government's response is in regard to the petition filed by the British American Tobacco (BAT) before the court, challenging a number of provisions of the Tobacco Control Act. ‘The respondent (Attorney General) shall contend that the economic consequences of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke include an extraordinary economic burden on the government, individuals and societies,’ the government says in its petition. The Monitor reports that the Tobacco Control Act prohibits smoking in public places like bars, cinemas, workplaces and means of transport. It came into force in 2015.