Tobacco use causes damage to ecology, human health: Experts

ISLAMABAD, June 2: Tobacco use is heavily damaging our environment, and is a serious threat to human beings, therefore stringent measures are required to protect our environment and life, say experts at a Roundtable .
The Roundtable discussion was organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in collaboration with the Ministry of National Health Services Regulations here.
Health expert DrMinhaj-us-Siraj urged the environmental activists and the government to stop tobacco industry for its role in degrading the environment. He said that 2.8 tons of firewood is annually consumed in roasting tobacco alone while 30 million tree barks are consumed in producing the packaging of cigarettes alone.
Dr Amina Khan lamented the tobacco industry for blindly focusing profit generation and using corporate social responsibility for positive image building irrespective of the environmental damage caused by this sector. She added that a cigarette butt takes 18 months to 2 years to degrade while the residue remains in the environment as second, third, and fourth-hand smoke.
Mr Asif Iqbal, Executive Director SPDC, was of view that the cigarette companies are responsible for $3.85 billion worth burden on health sector yet only 700 million of tax is generated from this sector.
Ms Saba Amjad, COO, Heartfile, said that the tobacco industry is capturing bigger market by rebounding itself through innovations in nicotine products. Representing World Wide Fund, Dr Imran Khalid said that the aim of CSR activities has shifted to greenwashing the environmental damage caused by tobacco industry.
MsMome Saleem, Executive Director, Institute of Urbanism, asserted that tobacco industry is challenging the traditional cash crops due to its land use and resource consumption. She further said that the sector should be viewed in terms of its greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint as cigarettes are not essential items.
MrShahzadAlam from World Health Organization informed the participants that there are 30 million smokers in Pakistan and daily 450 people lose their lives to cigarettes. The challenges posed by tobacco sector are further intensifying due to the innovations in nicotine products, he added.
DrSamraMazhat from Ministry of National Health Services Regulations highlighted that policing cigarette consumption at public places is difficult. “We need to strengthen implementation mechanism for legislation on tobacco control, extending regulatory control at public spaces to traffic police,” she added. -TLTP