PESHAWAR: Civil society organizations, public health advocates and child rights networks have expressed concern over reports suggesting classification of nicotine products as `recreational item’ to allow its sale in the country.
As per a statement issued here, the public health advocates observed that these reports are particularly troubling given earlier indications that policymakers were examining stronger measures, including a potential ban on vaping products due to increasing health concerns and growing use of such products among young people. The stance taken by the Federal Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, signalling its intention of addressing public health risks associated with vaping products and other emerging nicotine devices, was widely welcomed and appreciated by civil society and public interest groups across Pakistan. That position was widely regarded as a responsible and timely step toward protecting public health and safeguarding youth from nicotine addiction, the statement added.
However, the recent and unconfirmed reports suggesting that nicotine products may instead be categorized or regulated under “recreational items” have created serious concern among health advocates and civil society organizations.
Public health experts emphasized that nicotine is a highly addictive and harmful substance and should never be classified as a recreational product. They added that such a classification risks normalizing nicotine consumption and could lead to increased accessibility and use, particularly among adolescents and young adults.
Nicotine exposure has been linked to addiction, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory complications, and harmful impacts on brain development among youth.Scientific evidence shows that early exposure to nicotine significantly increases the risk of long-term dependency and can serve as a gateway to other tobacco and nicotine products.
In addition to the serious health consequences, nicotine addiction also imposes substantial economic costs, creating long-term burdens on healthcare systems, families, and the national economy due to the treatment of tobacco-related illnesses.
Usman Afridi from National Alliance for Sustainable Tobacco and Nicotine Control (NASTNC) said that any move to categorize nicotine as a recreational item would represent a serious setback for the country’s public health and tobacco control efforts.
“Nicotine is not a recreational substance. It is an addictive chemical that poses severe health risks and contributes to long-term social and economic burdens. Any progress toward regularizing nicotine under recreational items must be immediately rolled back,” he said.
Organizations working on child rights, youth development, and public health also condemned any such potential policy direction. They cautioned that increased availability and normalization of nicotine products could expose children and adolescents to addictive substances at an early age and reverse years of progress made in tobacco control.
