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September 11, 2024 by tribune.com.pk

Deputy Commissioner Haripur has banned e-cigarettes, vapes, and nicotine products in the district under Section 144 for 90 days starting September 6, 2024. Restrictions include banning their use in public transport and spaces, prohibiting promotion through media, selling to individuals under 21, and storage within 100 meters of certain places. Meanwhile, the Sindh government has also imposed a ban on items used for drug consumption in Karachi, with penalties under Section 188 PPC. The Senate Standing Committee approved the Cannabis Authority Bill after a four-year delay, facing disagreements over clauses during the meeting.

May 20, 2024 by nation.com.pk

The WHO expresses concern over rising tobacco-related deaths in Pakistan due to factors like illicit cigarette trade and lax law enforcement. A study highlights the illicit market at 9-17%, with an unknown counterfeit extent. Increasing tobacco prices is seen as key to reducing consumption. A survey in Islamabad shows 23% illicit market share, with 47% smuggled, 45% non-tax paid, and 8% counterfeit cigarettes.

January 30, 2024 by nation.com.pk

PESHAWAR - Public Health Stakeholders of Khyber Pakh­tunkhwa on Monday called for unanimous and aggressive efforts to permanently ban the use and sale of e-cigarettes and vapes in the province for the best interest of public health and sustainable tobacco control. Blue Veins, a civil society organ­isation, conducted a public health stakeholder consultation to delib­erate on the interim ban by the KP government on vapes and e-ciga­rettes.

January 25, 2024 by tnnenglish.com

Supporting the decision to ban the sale of e-cigarettes and vapes to minors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Alternative Research Initiative (ARI) reiterated its call for sensibly regulating tobacco harm-reduction products in Pakistan.

August 28, 2023 by dawn.com

Despite having sufficient knowledge about the potential health risks associated with nicotine exposure, an increasing number of young people are getting hooked on e-cigarettes, smoking devices that are powered by a battery, says a study recently published in an online journal. Over 800 individuals with mean age 29.6 years participated in the study during which 43.4 per cent respondents reported using e-cigarettes. “This is significantly higher than a 2017 study conducted among adolescents when prevalence of e-cigarettes was just 24 per cent. The current study also found that the mean age at which people start using e-cigarettes is 17 years and that 58 per cent of people believe smoking makes young people look ‘cool’,” it says.

September 05, 2022 by pakistantoday.com.pk

Media can play a strong role to counter the deceptive campaigns of tobacco industry to promote harmful emerging tobacco products in Pakistani youth, health activists said during a consultation organized by Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC).

The health activists and the senior journalists explored the need to ban emerging products such as nicotine pouches, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco devices, as they are becoming increasingly popular among Pakistani youth due to elaborate advertisement and promotional campaigns, said in a press release issued here on Sunday.

May 11, 2021 by thenews.com.pk

Islamabad : A 50 per cent increase in price would lead to the same amount of reduction in cigarette demand in Pakistan as majority of smokers would prefer to quit instead of switching to other brands.

This is revealed in a research study, ‘Switch, Reduce or Quit: How do smokers respond to tobacco tax increases in Pakistan,’ carried out by Pakistan Institute of Development Economics in Islamabad.

May 10, 2021 by dailytimes.com.pk

Pakistan is one of 15 countries worldwide with a heavy burden of tobacco-related ill-health. Despite considerable tobacco control efforts, the smoking incidence in the country is not decreasing fast enough. Which is why tobacco harm reduction needs to be an additional measure complementary to the existing tobacco control efforts in the country. Advances in science and technology have enabled the development of better alternatives to smoking, presenting a huge opportunity for improving public health, if acted upon.

March 26, 2021 by thenews.com.pk

New drugs that are getting increasingly popular among youth, especially girls, are as damaging as cigarettes and government need to utilize all its resources to ban such products that are openly available in the market. The views were expressed at a meeting of a delegation of anti-tobacco activists with Chairperson National Commission for Child Rights Afshan Tehseen Bajwa on Wednesday. [...] They said that the use of nicotine pouches continues to increase in the younger generation which dangerous for their health. They warned that younger generation, especially girls, are being pushed towards using a new brand using nicotine pouches.

February 09, 2021 by thenews.com.pk

Tobacco control activists demand that the government shall increase FED on tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco products, in Pakistan. Currently, there are two tax slabs for cigarettes. An amount of Rs33 FED is imposed on cigarettes costing less than Rs90 per packet and Rs90 on cigarettes with a price of Rs90 and above. However, these taxes are still below the standard set by World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to which Pakistan is a signatory since 2005. FCTC requires signatories to optimally impose a 75% tax on the retail price of cigarette packs. [...]