‘Urgent tobacco reforms can save lives, boost economy’

Islamabad: Mehwish Mumtaz from Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) has stresses that Pakistan’s challenge is not the absence of laws but the failure to enforce them effectively.

Ms Mumtaz said this at the issuance of Knowledge Brief on “Tobacco in transition: global practices, regional insights and Pakistan’s policy imperative” by PIDE.

Ms Mumtaz who is also author of the brief noted that simplifying the excise tax structure, strengthening regulatory coordination, regulating smokeless tobacco and expanding quitting support could save thousands of lives while restoring fiscal stability.

Drawing on international evidence, the brief highlighted successes from countries like Sierra Leone which passed a comprehensive Tobacco and Nicotine Control Act after an economic investment case justified the reforms, Uzbekistan, which strengthened tobacco regulations consistently for nearly three decades and the United Kingdom and Sweden where strictly regulated alternatives and harm-reduction strategies helped reduce adult smoking rates to historic lows.

In South Asia, countries like India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal faced similar implementation gaps despite strong legislation mirroring Pakistan’s enforcement challenges and further emphasising the need for consistent policy execution.

The Knowledge Brief outlined several critical weaknesses: Pakistan’s multi-tier excise system keeping low-cost cigarettes within reach, particularly for the youth; enforcement remained uneven due to weak provincial coordination; smokeless tobacco products such as ‘naswar’ and ‘gutka’ remained largely outside regulatory oversight and cessation support being extremely limited, leaving smokers with minimal access to cost-covered counselling or nicotine replacement therapy.

The brief also warns that while alternative products like e-cigarettes are widely debated, any harm-reduction approach must be rooted in science and governed by strict regulation, particularly to prevent youth initiation.

To address these challenges, brief recommended replacing the current multi-tiered tax structure with a single, high specific excise tax, a globally recognised tool for reducing consumption and increasing revenue.

It also called for stronger national coordination, full digital integration of track-and-trace systems to curb illicit trade and the inclusion of smokeless tobacco and novel products under mainstream regulatory and taxation systems.

The expansion of nationwide quit-support services including national helplines, cost-covered cessation therapies and integrated counselling formed another essential component of the proposed reforms.

The brief concludes with a compelling warning: Pakistan’s tobacco burden will continue to escalate unless the country shifts decisively from policy intent to policy action. Stronger governance, modernised taxation, coordinated enforcement and science-based regulation can significantly reduce premature deaths, ease pressure on the health system and safeguard families from the long-term financial and health consequences of tobacco-related diseases.