THE Senate on Friday unanimously passed House Bill 24-20, which would require businesses to label betel nut products and containers imported or sold in the CNMI with a health-risk warning.
Authored by Rep. Blas Jonathan T. Attao, H.B. 24-20 is now on its way to the desk of Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, after all eight senators present voted for its passage during a session on Tinian.
The bill aims to ensure that consumers are fully informed about the significant health risks associated with betel nut use.
In his letter to Senate Floor Leader Donald Manglona, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health, Welfare and Programs, Saipan Chamber of Commerce President Joe Guerrero expressed support for the measure, saying the Chamber recognizes that betel nut consumption is a long-standing cultural practice in the CNMI, but as a business community committed to public health, transparency and consumer awareness, local businesses believe it is imperative that betel nut users are provided with accurate and visible information about what they are consuming.
He said requiring clear and factual labels on betel nut products would empower consumers to make informed decisions.
Local internist and pediatrician Dr. Norma S. Ada asked Senate President Dennis James Mendiola and Senator Manglona to support H.B. 24-20, saying that, as a physician, she sees the heartbreak that oral cancer has wreaked in the lives of men and women and their families. These lives were lost prematurely due to a preventable cause of death, she said.
Ada lauded the efforts of the bill’s author and co-sponsors, as well as the healthcare community — including the local cancer association — for shining a light on one of the leading causes of death in island communities.
Saipan Seventh-day Adventist Dental Clinic’s Jocelyn Sonsona, PhD, also offered her “strongest support” for the bill. She said their dentists and dental hygienists/therapists have been active advocates in the fight against oral cancer and long-time partners of the Commonwealth Cancer Association.
She said regulating the sale of betel nut by requiring warning labels would raise awareness about its carcinogenic content. A warning label, she added, would provide the public with relevant information to make informed health choices.
