PESHAWAR-UNS: Member of the Provincial Assembly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa introduced a resolution in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly demanding the Federal Ministry of Health and Cabinet not approve the manufacturing of Electrically Heated Tobacco Products (HTPs) in Pakistan.
Products and the Proposal by Federal Govt to Reduce Pictorial Health warnings from 60 to 30 percent.
The resolution is introduced by MPA Liaqat Ali Khan and endorsed by Deputy Speaker Mahmmod Jan, Ayesha Bano, Sumera Shams,
Asia Asad, Somi Falaknaz, and MPA Pukhtunyar.
According to the resolution “In a recent move, the Federal Ministry of Health through an SRO is preparing to allow the sale of heated tobacco products and reduce the pictorial warnings from 60 to 30%. While the neighboring country, India has banned all E-cigs, Pakistan is set to legalize Heated Tobacco Products despite of having no conclusive evidence favoring these products over other tobacco
products.
HTPs are battery-powered systems that produce nicotine-containing emissions by heating tobacco. For this purpose, tobacco sticks are placed in a corresponding heater and heated to about 250–350 °C (around 500 °F), which results in nicotine-containing emissions that are inhaled via a mouthpiece with a filter segment.
The resolution states that Pakistan signed the Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (FCTC) in 2004, and in terms of its guidelines, signatories are duty-bound to increase excise duty on cigarettes by up to 70% and impose pictorial health warnings covering up to 85% of cigarette packs.
With the approval of heated tobacco products, the SRO is also prepared to make the pictorial warning against the law 30% instead of 60% which is against the WHO recommendations according to which Effective warning labels should be large, clear, rotating, cover at least 50% of the total tobacco pack and consist of both text and graphic images.
According to WHO recommendations, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Calls upon the Federal Government to Withdraw this SRO and keep 60 % of the pictorial warning d should not allow the preparation and sale of heated tobacco products in Pakistan in the public interest.
Qamar Naseem member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society Alliance for Sustainable Tobacco Control Welcomed the resolution and Said “ The actual impact of HTP on the health of users and its overall impact on public health is still not fully known. Several independent studies find that the vapor from heated tobacco products contains toxic compounds including carcinogens, instead of passing the SRO the matter should be discussed in the National Assembly and Senate”.
