Health Experts Criticize Prize Competitions by Tobacco Industry.

ISLAMABAD -- The Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) highlighted the deceptively dangerous marketing tactics of tobacco industry to attract the youth.

The press release titled 'Tobacco Money is Blood Money' was shared in the wake of a global competition organized by the biggest tobacco company in the world to recruit youngsters as future employees and customers.

Malik Imran Ahmed, Country Head, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK) highlighted that major tobacco companies now spend $9.1 billion per year nearly $25 million every day to promote their products, and many of their marketing efforts directly reach youth across the world. Due to influence in policy making and deceptive marketing tactics of tobacco industry, tobacco consumption is not decreasing in Pakistan.

Malik Imran expressed"It is irrational to think that an industry which is responsible for loss of 170,000 lives and 615 billion rupees every year in Pakistan, will willingly contribute to the career development of youth. A key reason the industry is able to organize such campaigns and offer lucrative incentives to youth, is the low taxation policies it enjoys in many countries, said in a press release issued here on Wednesday."

Khalil Ahmed Dogar, Program Manager SPARC, stated"Youth are the biggest victims of tobacco industry. Due to cheap and easy affordability, around 1,200 Pakistani children between the ages of 6-15 years start smoking every...

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