Regional Director, Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, Dr. Michelle Pinnock, says the Ministry stands in full support of programmes aimed at preventing tobacco use among young people.

“We recognise the reality as it relates to our young people and smoking and we join the action towards finding solutions,” she said.

She was addressing an anti-tobacco forum for students staged by the Jamaica Coalition for Tobacco Control at the St. John’s Methodist Church Hall in Montego Bay on Thursday (April 14).

In endorsing the forum, Dr. Pinnock gave the Ministry’s commitment to continue to increase awareness among the youth about the dangers of tobacco and other substances.

“By being a part of the change, we will be able to reduce the loss of productive citizens due to substance abuse,” she pointed out.

Director of the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA), Dr. Ken Garfield Douglas, who also addressed the forum, encouraged the students to develop the strength of character to stay away from tobacco.

He said surveys have shown that if smoking is not initiated by age 18, chances are that the person will never smoke in his/her lifetime.

The forum was attended by students from several schools across Western Jamaica and featured displays from the National Council on Drug Abuse (NCDA), Jamaica Cancer Society (JCS) and the Heart Foundation of Jamaica.

It was held under the theme: #mekwetalk #breatheeasy 

Source: Jamaica Information Service