August 2023 Newsletter

This newsletter begins by explaining that safer alternatives such as e-cigarettes, snus, nicotine pouches, and heat-not-burn products are considered less harmful than combustible cigarettes. It says misleading information and a prohibitionist approach can become barriers to ending combustible smoking. The newsletter argues that safer alternatives should not be presented only in a negative way, especially when they may help adult smokers quit or switch.

The issue discusses a study by Aga Khan University and Multan Medical and Dental College on e-cigarette use in Pakistan. The newsletter says some media reports and tobacco-control voices called for strict action against e-cigarettes, but it also points out that the study contained findings in favour of alternatives. For example, many respondents believed e-cigarettes helped reduce smoking or were less harmful than regular cigarettes.

The newsletter also highlights Pakistan’s tobacco burden. It says Pakistan has around 31 million smokers or tobacco users according to some estimates, and around 400 people die daily because of tobacco-related diseases. The annual cost of tobacco consumption is reported as Rs615 billion, equal to 1.6% of the country’s GDP. The issue notes that Pakistan has around 400 vape shops, but e-cigarette use remains unregulated.

Other articles in the issue discuss international examples and policy updates. One article reports a large US study showing that e-cigarettes may help some smokers reduce or stop smoking, even when they did not initially plan to quit. Another article explains that snus has helped reduce smoking in Norway, though the European Union remains divided about it. The issue also reports that cigarette sales have dropped in Russia as some smokers shift to e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, and that Sindh’s health department banned the use of paan, gutka, mainpuri, and cigarettes by staff in government offices and hospitals during duty hours.