PESHAWAR - Participants at a consultative seminar on “Smokeless Tobacco Products” on Wednesday proposed the imposition of special taxes on smokeless tobacco items and suggested for making specific legislation to control the growing their usage in the society.
The seminar titled “Advocacy for Amendments in Anti-Tobacco Laws and Policy Chance for covering smokeless Tobacco Products” held under auspicious of Sustainable Development Vision SDV, a non-governmental organistaion in collaboration with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids here at local hotel.
Participants were including representatives of Human Right Commission of Paksitan, legal experts, members of civil society organisations, representative of NGOs and others.
Most of the participants argued that a number of smokeless tobacco user was increased due to absence of any specific laws to control it, while enforcement of the existing laws were also weak to promote tobacco-free society. They suggested that the government should impose specific taxes through proper legislation to control the increasing consumption of smokeless tobacco products.
The participants further proposed that the registration of smokeless items, particularly snuff (Naswar) should be made mandatory, to keep check on their ingredients, manufacturing and other process. A special awareness campaign at government level with the support of relevant stakeholders, including tobacco companies, should be launched to sensitize masses regarding the health-hazardous from usage of smokeless tobacco products, they suggested.
The Snuff processing and manufacturing units, the participants stressed, to be shifted from residential areas, which were causing huge health hazardous in the different localities.
Asifa Hameed, the SDV Programme Assistant Coordinator, while giving a presentation regarding the research study carried out by her organisation in four-districts of the province, including Mardan, Swabi, Haripur, and Abbottabad regarding the usage of smokeless items. She informed a number of users of smokeless tobacco products were growing due to presence of specific law and initiative to control in the society. She explained there was various forms of usage of smokeless tobacco items, including Snuff, Gutka, Chimo, Plug, Khaini, Tambak, Pan, milk, Qiwam, Mawa, Zarda.