Tobacco affecting 7 million globally

Tobacco consumption is among the biggest source on non-communicable diseases affecting seven million globally, experts said on Friday.

Human Development Foundation (HDF) in collaboration with Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids said in a statement said that tobacco consumption is among the biggest health threats and source of non-communicable diseases that the world is facing nowadays. On average, 7 million people die globally per year due to tobacco related diseases, including second-hand smokers, as per World Health Organization’s report. WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), of which Pakistan is a signatory, requires countries to follow strict guidelines for tobacco control. Although Pakistan has made laws for tobacco control, it lags behind in the proper implementation of these laws. Among other components, imposing the required taxes on tobacco products is still an issue in Pakistan. In 2017, FBR amended the tobacco tax structure by introducing a third tier of low taxes on tobacco products due to which prices of different brands of cigarettes dropped by 50%.