The Executive Director of Vision for Alternative Development (VALD), an NGO, Labram Musah has stated that alcohol is the second biggest cause of cancer in the world, after tobacco.
According to him, 650,000 people die from alcohol-related cancer every year.
Mr Musah in a press statement to mark World Cancer Day highlighted that “after tobacco, alcohol is the second biggest cause of cancer.
The statement noted that long before other risk factors such as infections, physical inactivity, or sunlight, Alcohol causes 10.3 million cancer disability-adjusted life years lost, representing 4.2% of all cancer disability-adjusted life years lost worldwide in 2016.”
VALD therefore, is pleading with the government to implement a policy to regulate the sale and consumption of alcohol in the country.
Mr. Musah also admonished the government to intensify public education on the effects of alcohol, tobacco, and other hard drugs.
VALD’s director stated that, “we call on our government to make cancer prevention a priority by implementing high-impact alcohol policy solutions, such as alcohol taxation.”
