The government has to take immediate steps to ensure implementation of the 'Prohibition of Smoking in Enclosed Places and Protection of Non-Smokers Health Ordinance, 2002' to check any publication of advertisements of cigarettes in the media, reflecting serious violations of the Ordinance.
Sources told Business Recorder here on Sunday that the concerned authorities seem to be unable to enforce the said Ordinance as some advertisements have been reportedly published in print media. This violation of the ordinance is fully indicative of the fact that the federal government can approve and promulgate an ordinance but lacks the proper mechanism to implement it fully.
The ordinance, titled 'The Prohibition of Smoking in Enclosed Places and Protection of Non-Smokers Health Ordinance, 2002', says: 'Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, no person/company shall advertise tobacco and tobacco products in any media, in any place and any public service vehicle, if such an advertisement is not in accordance with the guidelines prescribed for this purpose by a committee which the Federal government may, by notification in the official Gazette constitute'.
When contacted, Dr Asad Hafeez, Executive Director, Health Services Academy and Head of Tobacco Control Cell, said that such advertisements by any cigarette manufacturer, etc, is a clear violation of anti-tobacco rules and an initial probe had been started into this act. He said the government would take action against the unit for this violation.
Khurram Hashmi, National Co-ordinator, Coalition for Tobacco Control in Pakistan, criticised the performance of Tobacco Control Cell for not effectively implementing the ordinance and said that promotional advertisement campaign of cigarettes is a clear violation of government rules and regulations. The only purpose of this advertisement campaign is to attract youth for smoking, and the government should take strict action against units involved in the violation of anti-smoking rules and regulations. "We are in contact with senior officials of tobacco control cell and we are hopeful that proper action will be taken against the violators," he added.
According to the ordinance, "advertisement' means and includes any notice, circular, wall paper, pamphlet, display on any board, or hoarding , through internet, or any visible representation made by any form of media whether mechanical, electronic, audio, visual or any other technological means of any light, sound, smoke, gas, writing instrument sticker".
It has been reported that cigarette consumption constitutes the single most important modifiable risk factor for coronary artery disease and the leading preventable cause of death. Nearly one billion individuals now smoke world-wide. Smoking has a particularly staggering impact in the Third World: almost one-half billion individuals world-wide will eventually die of smoking-related complications. Even among non-smokers, it is now recognised that inhaled smoke, whether from passive exposure or from cigar and pipe consumption, also greatly increases coronary risks, sources said.
According to a study conducted in Karachi, the prevalence of tobacco use is 32.7 percent. The prevalence of smoking in Karachi has not declined in the past few decades and requires attention of researchers to explore smoking-related issues. The tobacco companies are competing to promote cigarette consumption while it has been increasing by 5 percent annually. A study, conducted in Peshawar, reported 36 percent and 11 percent smoking among males and females respectively. And the most popular form was filter-tipped cigarettes, while lung cancer is supposedly the direct cause for deaths in Pakistani males and over 90 percent of such cases are caused directly by the use of tobacco.