Imperial College London has recently released a study on smoking titled “The Global Environmental Footprint of Tobacco” which shows that tobacco production in less developed countries has become a cause for concern and Pakistan is among the 9 poor countries that produce 90% of the world’s cigarettes.
Referring to this research, Indus University Dean Dr. Aftab Madani says that developing countries produce about 90 percent of the total tobacco production in the world.
9 out of 10 tobacco producing countries are developing, including four low income and food deficit countries including Pakistan.
The reality is that the easy availability of cigarettes is causing these people to fall deeper into poverty. The money that people here spend on buying cigarettes can be spent on food and other essential items.
In this regard, Capital Calling has said that there is a need to follow the recommendations of the World Health Organization regarding the taxation of tobacco in the country of Pakistan.
A report by a well-known government-run research institute (PIDE) states that 24 million people smoke in the country. The total cost of smoking-related illnesses and deaths in Pakistan in 2019 was 615.07 billion rupees ($3.85 billion), and indirect costs accounted for 70 percent of the total.
