Rendez-vous 147
December, 14 2002
This rendez-vous took place during the 2002 national tobacco control conference in San Francisco. I want to thank the press service of the conference and the San Francisco Tobacco Free project that made it possible.
Angale is a Health Educator with the Society Against Cancer in Ecuador
Portoviejo, Province of Manabi, Ecuador
Thank you Angela for accepting our rendez-vous. May I ask you to introduce yourself?
Angela Pinoargote: I have been a teacher for 32 years and a health educator for 15 years.
I work mostly with kids in schools in the Province of Manabi. We have just started a new campaign on the theme "Instead of smoking, feel yourself at life".
Q1. Can you tell us about tobacco advertising in Ecuador?
Angela Pinoargote: Billboards are everywhere. Promotions are everywhere: lots of contests where you can win a car, refrigerator, trips, whatever - provided you buy cigarettes.
Q2. Is there no regulation for the marketing of tobacco products?
Angela Pinoargote: A tobacco control Act was passed by Congress in 1998 but there is no enforcement. The government is too concerned about collecting tobacco taxes to enforce the law and about 6,000 people work for the tobacco companies.
Q3. What are the tobacco companies active in Ecuador?
Angela Pinoargote: There is one national corporation but Philip Morris holds 80% of the market: they bought out local companies. They are also involved in growing tobacco and this development is detrimental because farmers will grow tobacco instead of food crops.
Q4. What about the Health Department?
Angela Pinoargote smiles: cigarettes are sold in the hospitals. Despite the no-smoking signs everybody smokes.
Q5. How do you feel about attending the conference in San Francisco?
Angela Pinoargote: The buddy system is very useful for us. It introduces us to new ideas, new programs. We are trying to plan actions together with our contacts here in the US. Maybe a program to train the teachers. It gives us hope.
Thank you Angela for taking the time to be with us today.
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