Islamabad: Leading child rights groups, public health experts and national civil society networks have strongly opposed the government’s proposal to make standards for nicotine-containing, tobacco-free oral products mandatory. They warn that the move could normalise nicotine use, endangering children and undermining public health priorities.
The opposition comes from the Child Rights Movement (CRM), Syed Ishtiaq Gilani of the National Action and Coordination Group (NACG), SAIEVAC’s Civil Society Mechanism, the All Pakistan NGOs Alliance (APNA), the Trans Rights Movement (TRM), the Pakistan Climate Change Alliance (PCCA) and others, representing a broad cross-section of civil society united against a policy they view as favoring commercial interests over youth health and rights. Experts argue that turning a voluntary technical standard into a mandatory framework does not protect health but instead legitimizes a highly addictive substance. They emphasize that without strict age verification, marketing restrictions, flavor bans, taxation, retailer licensing, and cessation support, such policies risk expanding nicotine use rather than preventing it.
“From a child rights perspective, this move is deeply concerning,” said Mehwish Kayani, National Coordinator of CRM. “The state has a constitutional duty to protect children from addictive substances. Any policy that legitimises nicotine products undermines this responsibility.”
Public health expert Sehrosh Mustajab said nicotine was addictive and harmful, especially for adolescents.
“Mandatory technical standards alone cannot substitute for strong public health regulation.”
Advocates for tobacco control, including Qamar Naseem of the National Alliance for Sustainable Tobacco & Nicotine Control, warned that the policy shifts focus from reducing demand to managing markets, potentially reversing progress in nicotine prevention. “Pakistan should be moving toward a nicotine-free future, not formalising new markets,” he said.
Civil society groups called on the federal government to halt steps toward mandatory nicotine pouch standards and ensure that health policy remains independent of industry influence, guided instead by evidence-based public health principles and child protection.
Published in THE NEWS on January 18, 2025.
