A research — published in August — studied and linked stroke prevalence to cigarette consumption.
The study titled “From smoke to stroke: quantifying the impact of smoking on stroke prevalence” assessed the relationship between smoking-related factors and the risk of stroke, including the influence of variations in demography on the relationship.
The research evaluated clinical attributes and factors like duration of smoking, and content of nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide. More than 9 thousand participants were part of this study.
The study confirmed the contribution of smoking towards increased stroke risk. Carbon monoxide and nicotine exposure seem to be the main cause of the effect. The results of the study can help design stroke prevention strategies that specifically consider lifestyle, behaviors and demography.
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In 2022, Bol reported that the tobacco industry in Pakistan enjoyed a thriving customer base, comprising at least 24 million active tobacco users in the country.
According to a study titled ‘The Huge Economic Cost of Tobacco-Induced Diseases in Pakistan’, conducted by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), the total costs attributable to all smoking-related diseases and deaths across the country, pre-pandemic era, were Rs615.07 billion. However, the tobacco industry’s total tax contribution, Rs120bn in 2019, was approximately just 20 per cent of smoking’s total cost, the PIDE report showed.
Experts stressed that the government could earn much-needed revenues by increasing tax on cigarettes rather than on essentials like baby milk and other food items.
Shariq Mahmood Khan, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Chromatic Trust, an organisation working towards socio-behavioural and development changes in Islamabad, told Bol News that according to the Economics of Tobacco in Pakistan, raising taxes to 70pc would help half a million users in quitting the smoking habit.
