In Pakistan there are an estimated 28 million smokers at present. If each smoker spends just Rs. 20 per day Rs. 560 million are wasted in smoking cigarettes. In addition several billion rupees are spent by people on the treatment of smoking related diseases every year. Thus, the economics loss to the country as a result of tobacco use is huge.
Experience from the western world has shown that controlling tobacco consumption in a country actually saves money. The government of Pakistan, unlike other governments in the region has so far not taken any concrete step toward to the control of this epidemic. The government probably fears that by controlling tobacco they will lose the revenue generated from taxation on cigarettes. According to the experts of WHO and World Bank, controlling tobacco use will bring unprecedented health benefits without harming the economy of the country.
There are over 7,000 scientific studies published in various international journals, which prove the serious harm caused to human health from tobacco use. Up to 90 percent of lung cancer and 80 percent of deaths from chronic obstructive lung disease are caused by tobacco use.
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