Sale of cigarettes to minors remains high; enforcement of laws poor: CTC report

Islamabad

The sale of cigarettes to minors remains high nationwide in Pakistan; the sales of cigarettes near educational institutions is also a common occurrence. There is a complete disconnect between observation of infringements of tobacco control laws and action taken by enforcement authorities on violations that are reported.

These are some of the key findings of a report launched simultaneously in Islamabad, Karachi and Peshawar on Thursday by the Coalition for Tobacco Control (CTC) Pakistan.

Titled ‘Stubbing it out: status of enforcement of tobacco control laws in Pakistan,’ the report presents an assessment of the enforcement status of tobacco control laws and policies in 23 cities and 18 districts of Pakistan; it also looks at the role played by the tobacco industry in weakening the enforcement of existing laws.

The report contains the results of observations carried out during the last quarter of 2016 by coalition partners of CTC. The partners were trained and asked to carry out observations in their areas, visiting public places including restaurants, offices, banks, public transport vehicles, commercial areas, cigarette selling outlets and educational institutions in their respective cities through a randomized protocol.

The report blames the tobacco industry for an increase in sale of cigarettes to minors. It reinforces the belief that advertisements and youth-focused marketing are the main tools employed by the tobacco industry to entice teenagers and children. The coalition partners surveyed in the report opined that advertising agencies, kiosk or billboard owners, tobacco farmers and media production houses are the major front groups used by the tobacco industry to further its interests.

According to the report, 86% of the coalition partners reported absence of any action by the enforcement agency once violation of tobacco control laws was reported.

Point of Sale (POS) posters and hangings were the two most commonly used methods of advertisement used by the tobacco industry. Giveaways and neon signs are the second most commonly used methods. At the provincial level, the report finds that that the industry relies on billboards and shop branding in Balochistan; distribution of flyers in KPK and Sindh; and pasting of pasting posters at POS in Punjab.

Based on the findings of the report, CTC-Pak and its coalition members recommended the formulation of a National Action Plan for Enforcement, and setting up of Provincial Tobacco Control Cells with adequate financial and human resources to counter challenges. This should be done in collaboration with civil society organizations. Annual public assessment of the status of enforcement is also recommended by the report.

“On the policy front, tobacco control has seen some progress in Pakistan, with laws and policies consistent with the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) available for action. Unfortunately, same cannot be said about implementation of these policies,” Khurram Hashmi, the National Coordinator of CTC-Pak said. “We hope the information enshrined in the report will contribute to effective implementation of tobacco control laws and assist the government in identifying areas where immediate attention is needed”.

The report has been presented and shared with the Federal Tobacco Control Cell, Ministry of National Health Services. The information is expected to contribute to the existing national database on tobacco control in Pakistan, assisting the authorities not only in enforcement of laws but also providing tobacco control advocates with an insight to better implementation of tobacco control strategies.