ISLAMABAD - The number of smokers in Pakistan has reached over 29 million as the total number of tobacco users has across the world reach 1.1 billion, endangering Pakistan’s efforts to achieve 30 percent tobacco use reduction target by 2025.

“Smoking killed almost 8 million people in 2019 and the number of smokers rose as the habit was picked up by young people around the world,” reveals a recent study published in the Lancet journal.

In 2019, smoking was associated with 1.7 million deaths from ischemic heart disease, 1.6 million deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 1.3 million deaths from tracheal, bronchus and lung cancer, and nearly 1 million deaths from stroke. Previous studies have shown that at least half of long-term smokers would die from causes directly linked to smoking, and that smokers have an average life expectancy 10 years lower than those who have never smoked.

A former Head of the Tobacco Control Cell Pakistan and Country’s former focal person for FCTC Dr. Ziauddin Islam has suggested the government to increase tax on all tobacco products in the upcoming budget to reduce the number of smokers.

The government would have to implement health levy to increase taxes on tobacco products to achieve the 30 percent tobacco use reduction target by 2025, he said.

According to the study, half of all the countries had made no progress in stopping uptake among 15 to 24-year-old and the average age for someone to start is 19, when it is legal in most places.

Despite 182 countries signing the 2005 convention on tobacco control, enforcing policies to reduce smoking had been varied. Researchers said taxation is the most effective policy but there is a significant discrepancy between the high cost of a packet of cigarettes in developed countries and a significantly lower cost in low and middle-income countries.