By Maria Tabassum
\nPESHAWAR: Advocates of tobacco control are urging the formulation of a comprehensive policy to protect the youth from the health hazards associated with the emerging tobacco products including vaping, heated tobacco and e-cigarettes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Citing the hazards posed by the unregulated influx of these products to public health as well as the environment, they believe that time has come to take pragmatic measures to oversee the production and consumption of these products in the country.<\/p>\n
Coordinator, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tobacco Control Cell, Ajmal Shah, says emerging trends in tobacco products are enticing the youth with slogans like \u201cQuit smoking and start vaping\u201d. These moves are attracting people, especially youngsters towards use of e-cigarettes, vaping, and heated tobacco products.
\n\u00a0Newer tobacco products are being imported, sold, and consumed without any checks and balances due to legal lacunas in the existing legislation,” he points out, adding in recent years, a variety of new tobacco and nicotine-related products have entered the markets worldwide, including Pakistan.<\/p>\n
The expert believes that the marketing strategies and tactics applied for the promotion of these products are playing a significant role in increasing the trend and popularity of the products despite a lack of research on their impacts. The marketing campaigns for HTPs or heated tobacco products are focused on the idea that these products are less harmful than traditional cigarettes. This messaging capitalizes on the health-conscious consumer’s desire to reduce health risks associated with smoking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The availability of various flavours for heated tobacco products highlighted through marketing is another clever way to promote the use of the HTPs. This strategy, he points out, targets smokers who may be interested in a wider range of taste options compared to traditional cigarettes.\u00a0Moreover, a lack of ash and the reduced smell associated with HTPs make them appealing to individuals who may want to smoke in places where traditional smoking is restricted.<\/p>\n
Associating heated tobacco products with a certain lifestyle or image can make them more appealing to specific target\u00a0demographics. Marketing efforts are portraying these products as sophisticated, modern, and fitting for various social occasions. Such targeted strategies aim to create a positive association between the product and the lifestyle of the target audience.\u00a0The emergence of modern tobacco products is making regulations and control especially challenging in low-to-middle-income countries, including Pakistan.\u00a0
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\n\u201cPakistan has high tobacco production and tobacco industry\u2019s approach to market expansion and deceptive narrative around newer products as a safe alternative to smoking has been deliberately targeting young people and influencing public opinion and the perception of the policymakers\u201d, Ajmal Shah opines.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0He thinks that such an approach by the tobacco industry and less understanding among policymakers poses a serious threat to tobacco control efforts. \u00a0 <\/p>\n
Sana Ahmad, Programme Coordinator at Blue Veins, has concerns about the limited regulations on HTPs, noting that the federal government has primarily focused on health warnings, neglecting crucial aspects such as sales, taxation, likely use by children, public use, and pricing. \u201cThe provincial government needs to take HTPS into further regulations concerning the health of the youth\u201d, she suggests.<\/p>\n
Zainab Naqvi, the Focal Person for Tobacco Control Programme for Peshawar, concurs with the earlier arguments and wants vetting of the existing laws to make their enforcement more effective.
\nShe says under the law, she can conduct a raid but cannot arrest anyone because the authority to enforce cognizable clauses rests with the district magistrate.
\nThe official calls for a thorough vetting of existing laws to enhance enforcement effectiveness.\u00a0
\nShe says the district administration is taking action against the use of Sheesha (pipe tobacco) by youth under the Civil Administration Act and not under Tobacco Control laws.
\nThe prevailing Tobacco Control Laws do not have any clause to clearly explain that the use of newer products, including Sheesha, is prohibited.\u00a0
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\n\u201cOver 22 million people (20 percent of adults) in Pakistan smoke tobacco. As many as 32 percent of men and 6pc \u00a0of women smoke. However, smokeless forms of tobacco, such as paan, ghutka, naswar and e-cigarettes, are also popular. More than one in four young people (aged 13-15) are exposed to second-hand smoke in their homes\u201d discloses Waseem Janjua of Sustainable Development Policy Institution (SDPI).\u00a0
\n\u00a0He says 15 percent of male deaths and 1 pc of female deaths are related to tobacco use and exposures, adding around 164,000 people die annually from tobacco-related diseases in Pakistan.
\nThe expert from SDPI says the tobacco industry claims that these new products can reduce harm up by 90 to 95 percent compared to conventional cigarettes, but independent research has confirmed high levels of carcinogenic substances.
\nHe warns that the use of any tobacco product including HTPs is harmful, especially for youth.
\nRevealing the alarming statistics about tobacco use in the country, the expert emphasizes the urgent need for government action.\u00a0He says it is time to take notice of the use and promotion of newer tobacco products by making new legislation to regulate or ban such products found to be harmful to public health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Maria Tabassum PESHAWAR: Advocates of tobacco control are urging the formulation of a comprehensive policy to protect the youth from the health hazards associated with the emerging tobacco products including vaping, heated tobacco and e-cigarettes.\u00a0 Citing the hazards posed by the unregulated influx of these products to public health as well as the environment, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-377078","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-article"},"yoast_head":"\n