Tobacco Giant British American Tobacco Lobbying for “Kiddie” Cigarette Packs, Pakistan Government Must Reject Alarming Proposal
Statement of Dr. Maheen Malik, Regional Director of South Asia Programs, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
Washington, D.C. – British American Tobacco, one of the world’s largest multinational tobacco companies, is aggressively lobbying to change a long-established law in Pakistan that would allow the tobacco giant to make “kiddie packs” of cigarettes – cigarette packs with just 10 cigarettes per pack. Packs of fewer than 20 cigarettes are banned in Pakistan and in more than 80 countries around the world because they appeal to kids and vulnerable populations – and make deadly cigarettes cheap and easily accessible.
According to leaked documents, British American Tobacco plans to produce cigarettes in Pakistan and export them for sale in Sudan, a country facing a devastating conflict and humanitarian crisis. In response, advocates from 25 African nations and Pakistan have called on the Pakistani government to reject British American Tobacco’s attempts to change Pakistan’s laws.
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids joins advocates from Africa and Pakistan in urging the Pakistan government to reject the lobbying efforts of British American Tobacco and to uphold the current law banning kiddie packs of cigarettes. Pakistan’s law, which protects children, is part of its commitment to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, a global public health treaty to which Pakistan is a party. The treaty obligates signatories to implement measures to drive down rates of tobacco use and prohibits the sale of single cigarettes or in small packs.
Tobacco giants like British American Tobacco have for decades sought to influence foreign governments to pass regulations that increase their profits and result in devastating public health consequences. British American Tobacco’s attempt to change laws meant to protect Pakistanis from the deadly harms of its cigarettes is shameful, but nothing new for Big Tobacco. More governments around the world need to pass and implement strong laws to curb the death and disease caused by tobacco use – not cave to the interests of the world’s largest tobacco companies.