Reenactment Of Tobacco Vendors Act In KP Termed Essential To Regulate Products Accessibility

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th May, 2024) Reenactment of Tobacco Vendors Act is essential to regulate accessibility and exposure of tobacco products among masses especially underage youth besides generating data of sale points for bringing this multi billions business into the tax net.

This was the gist of a discussion held at a Multi Stakeholders Consultation organized by Blue Veins, a non-governmental organization here Sunday.

People from different walks of life including Health, Excise and Taxation, Public Health department, Tobacco Control programme, district government representatives, Human Rights and Media participated in the discussion.

“Reenactment of Tobacco Vendor Act with some amendments to cover newly emerging dynamics like Sheesha smoking, Heated Tobacco Products, should be made to regulate sale of tobacco products,” opined Syeda Zainab Naqvi, Assistant Commissioner Peshawar.

The revival of important law will help in opening gateway of legislations aimed at controlling tobacco use in the country, Zainab hoped.

She said district administration needs legal support to protect youth from indulging into wrong practice of tobacco inhalation because lack of relevant laws hinders action against violators.

In most of the cases, violators are nabbed over selling tobacco products to underage youth or selling within the vicinity of educational institutions or selling imported cigarettes, but strict action and destruction of confiscated goods cannot be made due to legal complications.

Syeda Zainab Naqvi said there must be reasons explained in repealing of an important law of Tobacco Vendor Act of 1958 in 1999.

In her welcome address, Programme Coordinator Blue Veins, Sana Ahmad apprised participants about efforts being made by Blue Veins and other organizations for implementation of Tobacco control laws in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

She said Blue Veins is providing technical support to government for strengthening of Tobacco Control policy through implementation of Provincial Action Plan 2021.

Sana also informed about the measures for passage of new law to ban sale of e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products to underage youth and within the vicinity of the educational institutions.

She said the Tobacco Vendor Act of 1958 was repealed in Finance Bill of 1999 as a result of which there is no check on sale points of tobacco products in the province.

Speaking on the occasion, Programme Manager Blue Veins, Qamar Naseem informed participants that Tobacco control does not mean to elimination of tobacco industry. He said tobacco control efforts are aimed at regulating the business to protect people, especially vulnerable, from its harms.

Qamar said if vendors of tobacco products are brought under a data network through reenactment of Vendors Act of 1958, government can general enormous earning through issuing of selling licenses and renewal fees on annual basis.

Furthermore, he continued, the legislation will help government in getting a data of number of people and sale points involved in the practice and about the quantity of products being sold in the province.

Apart of it, Qamar added, if laboratory analysis are made and products like naswar, velo pouches are brought into the category of tobacco product, earning in billions of rupees can be made by imposing of taxes on these products.

He said the nicotine pouches or velos are being sold without showing any ingredients and are harmful for public health.

Qamar appreciated the decision taken by District government of Faisalabad of obtaining licence mandatory for sellers of tobacco products.

He said the decision can be replicated in Peshawar and other districts of the province for the sake of better public health.

Qamar said it is ironical that in 2023 Heated Tobacco Products were regularized in the country without having substantial evidences that these are helpful in cessation of smoking.

The decision is challenged in the court and matter is presently subjudice, Qamar told the participants of the consultative discussion.