Citizens urge curtailing sale of smuggled tobacco products

Citizens on Monday stressed the need for curtailing sale of smuggled and duty-non-paid tobacco products in the country.
According to them, this illicit trade not only causes annual loss of more than Rs 10 billion to the national exchequer, but also undermines public health agenda as these tobacco products fail to comply with the regulations.
Most of these packs do not even carry the Urdu health warning while the regulations prohibiting consumer promotions are also being blatantly violated, they added. They asked the authorities concerned for efficacious implementation of tobacco control laws and to make proper strategies in preventing sale of tobacco to minors. Expressing dismay over flagrant disregard of anti-tobacco laws, citizens said that effective on-ground implementation of the regulations will only serve the purpose of tobacco control.
They said that sincere efforts are needed to prevent the spread of tobacco use as smoking at indoor public places, tobacco product advertising and promotion, printing of pictorial health warnings on packets and availability of duty-evaded and attractive looking smuggled brands in the market are still widespread.
It is pertinent to mention here that in line with the spirit of Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), the government has enacted various tobacco control measures through the Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers Health Ordinance 2002.
The said law contains provisions restricting smoking at public places, restricting advertising and promotion of tobacco products and prohibiting sale of cigarettes to minors.