Seminar on World No Tobacco Day urges social condemnation of smoking

Experts including psychologists, parliamentarians and journalists have called for social condemnation of the habit of smoking in Pakistan and making it a taboo in the country to prevent future generations from the most addictive substance in the world.

They were addressing a seminar arranged at a hotel on Wednesday by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (Sparc) in connection with World No Tobacco Day, which is observed every May 31.

The speakers also urged the relevant authorities to implement the Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-smokers Health Ordinance 2002 in letter and spirit. They said smoking is not only injurious to physical health but also brings psycho-pathological changes as well as changes in the entire brain chemistry, making a person vulnerable to psychological and psychiatric illnesses.

They also said smoking is a gateway to other, more lethal drugs that can ruin the lives of the users as well as their entire families and societies. University of Karachi Department of Psychology Chairperson Prof Dr Farah Iqbal stressed an urgent need to apprise the younger generations of the hazards of smoking, which is harmful for both physical and mental health, saying that good health means complete well-being.

“Smoking not only causes cancer and heart diseases but also mental illnesses, including depression, anxiety and behavioural changes. People are only aware of physical damages to the body, but nobody knows its repercussions for the mental health.”

She said there is more to cigarettes than just nicotine, as they contain over 4,000 chemicals, more than 50 of which are known to be toxic. “As young brains are still developing, nicotine exposure during youth and young adulthood can change the way the brain works, leading to a lifetime of addiction, and it may cause long-lasting effects, such as increased impulsivity and mood disorders.”

She said smoking is associated with a host of other risky behaviours, adding that most doctors agree that smoking should be classified as a medical condition. Parliamentarians including the PTI’s Arsalan Taj Hussain and Sidra Imran said the federal government is going to increase taxes and duties on cigarettes, while a sin tax is being imposed on them to make them more expensive and out of the reach of the people. They said a national framework is also being prepared to discourage smoking.

The MQM’s Mangla Sharma said parents need to take care of their children and provide them an atmosphere where smoking is condemned and discouraged, and stressed the need to make smoking a socially unacceptable habit.

Karachi Press Club Health Committee Secretary M. Waqar Bhatti stressed a complete ban on the sale of loose cigarettes to make them inaccessible to children as well as manifold increase in their prices.

Sparc’s Kashif Mirza said Pakistan is one of the 15 countries with the heavy burden of tobacco-related health issues, adding that a WHO report states that Pakistan’s country profile remains lacking on cessation programmes, health warnings, advertising bans and taxation. He said around 1,000 to 1,200 Pakistani children between six and 15 years start smoking every day according to a Global Adult Tobacco Survey.