A smoke screen

Despite putting in place at least 25 laws to restrict smoking or the use of tobacco products, there has been little success in achieving this mainly because of the failure to prevent companies which manufacture counterfeit cigarettes. These products are sold well under the prescribed price. For instance, while the government has set a rate of just under Rs40 for a pack of 20 cigarettes, illegally manufactured cigarettes go for a mere Rs27 – making them accessible to a far larger number of people including the youth. This also cost the government around Rs24 billion in revenue in 2014 alone since illegal manufacturers do not pay tax. Since the Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers Ordinance of 2002, many others laws have appeared on the statute books with the intention of discouraging smoking or the use of tobacco, preventing the glamorisation of smoking and restricting access to tobacco to those under 18. Under these laws, cigarettes can only be sold in packs of 20 to keep the price higher and therefore discourage people from purchasing them. In addition, there is now a blanket ban on the advertising of tobacco products and for nearly 10 years tobacco companies have been barred from sponsoring sporting teams or youth events, while billboard advertising is also not permitted. The legitimate cigarette industry has itself encouraged the labelling of cigarette packs to carry health warnings.

But despite this, we know that tobacco remains in wide use everywhere in the country. Some evidence by research groups suggests that illegal manufacturers have a far bigger hold on the market than authorised companies. It has also been noted that while legitimate companies follow the law, those who produce cigarettes illegally fail to do so. This has been a major factor in the continued rise of smoking or the promotion of other related products. Quite evidently, the 13 agencies we have working on enforcing the laws need to get their act together. They need to work with coordination. At the same time, a far more massive public education campaign would also appear to be necessary so that we can move beyond laws written out on paper that few read.