"Uganda's tobacco laws could see farmers' livelihoods go up in smoke"

Can...and Okippi...have grown tobacco all their lives. They do not understand how their government can contemplate enacting a law that could threaten farming the crop. Other crops such as maize are not as profitable as tobacco, they say...The tobacco control bill was tabled in March by Chris Baryomunsi MP. The bill will restrict the growing, selling, and marketing of the crop. Baryomunsi said farmers, who immediately denounced the bill, had benefited little from decades of tobacco farming and many still live in extreme poverty. A 2012 survey by Platform for Labour Action (PLA), a Kampala-based NGO, found that most children in homes growing tobacco missed half of their schooling during planting and harvesting seasons...Baryomunsi, a trained doctor, says the bill seeks to protect Ugandans from diseases such as cancer. It has gained massive support from the medical fraternity...The Centre for Tobacco Control Africa says 13,500 Ugandans die annually as a result of tobacco use. The World Health Organisation estimates 5 million people die globally each year...In a statement, tobacco-producing companies in the country – which includes British American Tobacco, Ugandan Tobacco Services Ltd, and Continental Tobacco, said: "The law must make a distinction between the products sought to be regulated and the individual corporate entity that enjoys fundamental rights and freedoms. The law should not seek to ban legitimate trade activities."