The return of prohibited oral cigarette ‘Lyft, now rebranded as ‘Sushi’

Plans are underway to re-introduce condemned highly addictive and nicotine-laced oral cigarettes formerly dubbed Lyft and now rebranded as ‘Sushi’ months after it was prohibited in the Kenyan market, The Informer has established.

The banned product has since been rebranded and efforts are underway to have the controversial commodity owned by the British American Tobacco (BAT) approved and licensed by the by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB).

Late last year, after the ban, BAT Chief Executive Officer Crispin Achola told The Informer BAT has since discontinued the supply.

He disassociated the firm from the poisonous tobacco-free modern oral nicotine pouch being sold in the Kenyan market.

However, our investigations have since authoritatively established that BAT is planning to re-introduce the same product under different name.

“Yes, the product has been rebranded already and process is underway to have it licensed by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board.” Our source confirmed.

However, by the time of going to the press, BAT had not responded to our queries.

“BAT Kenya has not supplied the market with LYFT since October 2020, nor is it currently supplying any other oral nicotine products. At the beginning of 2021, the Ministry of Health took the decision to regulate oral nicotine products under the Tobacco Control Act.” Achola told The Informer through an earlier correspondence.

In October 2020, Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe revoked license issued to BAT by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board allowing the of nicotine pouches, sold under the brand name “LYFT” noting that it was done contrary to the provisions of Section 25 of the Pharmacy and Poisons Act CAP 244.

This exposed the underbelly of the manipulable rigorous government procedures by multinationals to circumvent the law thus exposing the population to grave health risks.

“We remain committed to our evolved strategy and purpose to build A Better Tomorrow by reducing the health impact of our business, through offering alternative innovative products, including tobacco free oral nicotine pouches.” Achola added.

Through an internal correspondence to Pharmacy and Poisons Board Chief Executive Officer Dr Fred M. Siyoi, the CS said licensing of Lyft was illegal and the nicotine pouches neither meet the descriptions of “Part I poison nor Part II poison” as prescribed in the Pharmacy and Poisons Act.

Kagwe said that Kenya is a party to the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) and the ministry is at the forefront in ensuring that Kenya meets its obligations under the treaty.

The Ministry of Health declared the registration and sale of nicotine pouches, Lyft, illegal.

Medical experts and anti-tobacco lobby groups have previously petitioned the government to ban the nicotine product sold across the counter and which is being abused by the youth and children.

Last year, anti-tobacco lobbies called upon the government to completely ban the manufacture, sale and importation nicotine pouches commonly known as Lyft in Kenya.

They argued that Lyft is not a pharmaceutical drug but one causing serious addiction among young people as well contributing to the alarming increase of non-communicable diseases in the country.

They included the Kenya Tobacco Control Alliance, the International Institute for Legislative Affairs, the National Taxpayer Association, the Kenyan Network of Cancer Organizations, Den of Hope Youth Group, Consumer Information Network, Scad Kenya and Social Liberation and Health Promotion Network.

Through a petition written to the Kagwe, they demanded the ministry to fully implement tobacco control policies and measures to prevent imminent addiction and tobacco epidemic in the country.

“We are convinced that these products were illegally allowed into the Kenyan market and that PPB contravened the law. We applaud your swift action that saw the withdrawal of these products from the market,” the letter read in part.

“We are, however, concerned that BAT is still committed to have these products sold in the Kenyan market. The government has a legal obligation to protect its people more so the Kenyan youth against these tobacco products and their derivatives known to cause preventable diseases and avoidable premature deaths of millions of people globally every year.” They observed.

The product had been gaining popularity since it was introduced in the market late 2020.

Lyft pouch is placed inside the mouth between the lip and gums for extended periods.

These pouches are small bags of powder containing either tobacco-derived nicotine or synthetic nicotine, but no tobacco leaf, dust, or stem. People place them under the lip to get nicotine.

Last year, the WHO published a report calling for the strengthening of the tobacco control measures to protect the health of children.

The study, Tobacco control to improve child health and development found that of the 1.2 million deaths every year caused by second-hand tobacco smoke exhaled by smokers, 65,000 occur among children under 15 years.

However, the third edition of the WHO global report on the trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000-2025 published in 2019 shows a decline in tobacco use among people of both sexes in the world.

According to the report, about a third of the global population aged 15 years and above used of some form of tobacco in 2000. This rate declined by nearly 10 per cent to about a quarter by 2015.

If current tobacco control efforts are maintained, the rate is projected to decline to around a fifth of the (20.9 per cent) by the year 2025, says the report.