Regulations must be data-driven; not based on fallacies

• Claims countries have passed laws banning cigarette filters entirely false

By Kumar Ranaweera

The Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC) in a statement recently called on the Government to ban cigarette filters citing movements to conserve the environment. Whilst efforts to protect the environment must be lauded, however, the statement added the European Union had agreed on a ban, with Belgium and Netherlands already putting the ban in place. This is a complete misrepresentation of the truth. It once again spotlights organisations lobbying Government for regulatory changes bandying misinformation that ultimately impacts much larger value chains and the public.

In reality, a section of EU lawmakers suggested the bloc considers an outright ban on single-use cigarette filters to counteract possible environmental impacts. However, the proposers also agreed that such a ban could contravene European free trade agreements and that regional regulation must be considered instead. No country has still banned cigarette filters, whilst policy-makers in Denmark suggested softer measures such as a tax on filters.

The ADIC release points to the recent Conference of Parties meeting relating to the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which urged members to consider environmental impacts from tobacco products. This included waste disposal concerning cigarette butts. ADIC, in contrast, states the forum decided on a ban on cigarette filters and vaporizes, which it has no jurisdiction to do. Once again, the statements made thereby are misleading.

Tobacco is harmful to human health, which is why the industry and its product are subject to stringent regulation and control globally. However, such controls must be effected on accepted science and practice and not based on the whims of vested groups. This was evidenced with the failure of prohibition in the US during the 1930s, and the complete ban on tobacco products more recently in Bhutan. Both resulted in a surge in crime and smuggling and were thus repealed...What is critical is that governments, especially Sri Lanka, take a measured and science-based approach to all regulations

Tobacco is harmful to human health, which is why the industry and its product are subject to stringent regulation and control globally. However, such controls must be effected on accepted science and practice and not based on the whims of vested groups. This was evidenced with the failure of prohibition in the US during the 1930s, and the complete ban on tobacco products more recently in Bhutan. Both resulted in a surge in crime and smuggling and were thus repealed.

Sri Lanka are the proud enactors of some of the strictest regulations on cigarettes and the tobacco industry in the world. This is in addition to high price controls that place cigarettes in the country at a premium. The price of legal cigarettes alone have created a significant decrease in the demand for legal products whilst illicit cigarettes have seen a sharp upward trend in recent years. However, smuggling is a growing concern, in addition to a burgeoning beedi industry which is going unchecked. Despite the market being dominated by beedis and illicit cigarettes with over 7 billion sticks collectively, institutes like ADIC and some regulators completely ignore this fact.

Sri Lanka are the proud enactors of some of the strictest regulations on cigarettes and the tobacco industry in the world. This is in addition to high price controls that place cigarettes in the country at a premium. The price of legal cigarettes alone have created a significant decrease in the demand for legal products whilst illicit cigarettes have seen a sharp upward trend in recent years. However, smuggling is a growing concern, in addition to a burgeoning beedi industry which is going unchecked

The ADIC statement also proposes a ban on sale of single sticks, stating this hinders the process of reducing the consumption of cigarettes in Sri Lanka. However, this must happen alongside efforts to curtail the growth of smuggled cigarettes, which are proliferating island wide. Sri Lanka Customs puts the figure of illicit cigarettes in the country to be around 750 million annually. In addition, the Government earns over Rs. 140 billion from cigarettes annually, at a time where revenue is a key concern and want. Accordingly, it must be measured in the application of such draconian regulations. Recently, New Zealand revoked a controversial law on an age-based ban on cigarette sales citing revenue impacts and consumer rights.

What is critical is that governments, especially Sri Lanka, take a measured and science-based approach to all regulations. A foundation of the ongoing restructuring process and draft finance law is to adopt data-driven policies and action. Tobacco control laws must take a similar vein, and consider realities on the ground as opposed to vested hearsay accounts. For instance, anti-smoking groups locally and globally pay little heed to the prevalence of illegal markets that account for the bulk of consumption locally. Regulation cannot be drafted or passed on prejudiced and flimsy one-sided accounts. They must at all times hold the national interest at heart, alongside the well-being and rights of consumers and the Government.

 

(The writer is an analyst attached to a leading audit firm in Colombo.)