Experts say nicotine is a highly addictive and harmful substance; standardization could lead to use in adolescents
A store offering electronic cigarettes and vaping products. Source: Reuters
PESHAWAR:
Civil society organizations (CSOs), public health advocates and children’s rights networks have expressed deep concern over reports suggesting the classification of nicotine products as “recreational items” to allow their sale in the country.
In a statement released Wednesday, public health advocates observed that these reports are particularly troubling given previous indications that policymakers were considering stricter measures, including a potential ban on vaping products due to growing health concerns and increasing use of such products among young people.
The stance taken by the Federal Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination, signaling its intent to address public health risks associated with vaping products and other emerging nicotine devices, has been widely welcomed and appreciated by civil society and public interest groups across Pakistan.
This position was widely seen as a responsible and timely step toward protecting public health and protecting young people from nicotine addiction, the statement added.
However, recent, unconfirmed reports suggesting that nicotine products may instead be classified or regulated as “recreational items” have raised serious concerns among health advocates and civil society organizations.
Public health experts emphasize that nicotine is a highly addictive and harmful substance and should never be classified as a recreational product. Such a classification risks normalizing nicotine use and could lead to increased accessibility and consumption, particularly among adolescents and young adults, they added.
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Exposure to nicotine has been linked to addiction, cardiovascular disease, respiratory complications, and adverse effects on brain development in young people. Scientific evidence shows that early exposure to nicotine significantly increases the risk of long-term addiction and may serve as a gateway to other tobacco and nicotine products.
In addition to its serious health consequences, nicotine addiction also imposes significant economic costs, creating long-term burdens on health systems, families, and the national economy due to the treatment of tobacco-related illnesses.
Usman Afridi of the National Alliance for Sustainable Tobacco and Nicotine Control (NASTNC) said any move to classify nicotine as a recreational product would represent a serious setback to the country’s public health and tobacco control efforts.
“Nicotine is not a recreational substance. It is an addictive chemical that poses serious health risks and contributes to long-term social and economic burdens. Any progress toward regularizing nicotine in recreational products must be immediately reversed,” Afridi said.
Civil society organizations highlighted that Pakistan is already committed to strengthening the fight against tobacco and nicotine through national policies and international public health frameworks.
Reframing nicotine as a recreational product would undermine these commitments and could open the door to increased commercialization, accessibility and consumption of nicotine products.
Organizations working on children’s rights, youth development and public health have also strongly condemned any such potential policy direction. They warned that the increased availability and standardization of nicotine products could expose children and adolescents to addictive substances from a young age and reverse years of progress made in tobacco control.
Civil society groups are calling on the government and relevant authorities to prioritize evidence-based public health policies and ensure that nicotine products are not commoditized or normalized through inappropriate regulatory classifications.
Policymakers must remain firmly committed to protecting citizens’ health and preventing the spread of nicotine addiction, they insisted.
