Several tobacco products banned in Kathmandu

In order to become a "healthy city", the capital of Nepal has banned the sale, consumption and transactions of many local tobacco products, including oral and chewable tobacco. However, cigarettes are not included in this measure.

Raw tobacco leaves, chewing tobacco, bidis[1], gutkha[2], sulpha[3], tambakhu[4], panparang[5] : as many forms of tobacco products that are now prohibited for sale and consumption in the 32 districts of the city of Kathmandu, since December 13, 2023[6]. Transactions of these products are also prohibited. The metropolitan police are authorized to seize any infringing product.

In a second phase, the timing of which has not been announced, the use of water pipes should also be banned. Other smoked tobacco products, however, remain outside the scope of the regulations adopted in Kathmandu.

Much more progress remains to be made in tobacco control

Smokeless tobacco products are the ones that are mainly consumed in Nepal (18.3 % of consumers, 15.3 % being daily users), ahead of smoked tobacco products (17 % of smokers, including 13.3 % of daily smokers). With a total smoking prevalence of 28.9 % (48.3 % for men and 11.6 % for women), Nepal remains a heavy consumer of various tobacco products. Banning a large part of these products is a strong announcement for which health actors are questioning its implementation.

Although it ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2007 (CCLAT), the international treaty of the World Health Organization (WHO), this country has indeed been singled out for its lack of monitoring and application of measures adopted in the fight against smoking. Tobacco products are thus lightly taxed (41 %), the legislation banning smoking in places of collective use adopted in 2011 is rarely observed, while tobacco advertising remains authorized on television and radio.

It is possible that the initiative of the Kathmandu metropolis will encourage the Nepalese authorities to take up the issue of tobacco control. Many anti-smoking laws have in fact been first adopted at the local level, before being rolled out at the local state and then federal levels. However, much remains to be done for Nepal and its capital to become more in line with the FCTC.

Keywords: Kathmandu, Nepal, oral tobacco products, chewing tobacco, waterpipe

MF

[1] Fine tobacco leaves rolled and smoked.

[2] Flavored chewing tobacco powder, containing betel nut.

[3] Dried tobacco powder, smoked in a chilum-type clay pipe.

[4] A blend of flavored tobacco, smoked in a water pipe (chicha or hookah).

[5] Flavored tobacco preparation for chewing.

[6] Samiti RS, Tobacco products banned in Kathmandu from today, The Himalayan Times, published December 13, 2023, accessed December 15, 2023.