December 2024 Newsletter

The December 2024 issue focuses on community-led action to reduce smoking in Pakistan. The lead story reports that ARI and its partner organizations held awareness sessions in 12 districts, six in Punjab and six in Sindh. These sessions were organized with local partner organizations and involved students, community leaders, doctors, mothers, workers, smokers, and people from different walks of life.

The newsletter explains that the sessions discussed the health risks of tobacco, the benefits of quitting, and the role communities can play in keeping youth away from smoking. Participants were told that Pakistan has more than 31 million tobacco users, including 17 million cigarette smokers. The sessions also highlighted that smoking kills about 160,000 people in Pakistan every year and creates a major economic burden.

The issue also reports ARI’s call for collective efforts to save youth from smoking. ARI says combustible smoking is a leading cause of preventable diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and respiratory illnesses. It also says youth are especially vulnerable because early exposure to smoking can lead to lifelong addiction and health problems.

The newsletter also covers Belgium becoming the first European Union country to ban disposable e-cigarettes. The ban aims to protect young people and reduce environmental harm caused by single-use vape products. Another story explains New Zealand’s free vape scheme, where stop-smoking services will provide vaping starter kits to adult smokers as part of efforts to reach the Smokefree 2025 goal.

The final stories discuss a study from University College London which says that each cigarette may reduce life expectancy by about 20 minutes on average, and Milan’s strict outdoor smoking ban, which aims to improve air quality and protect people from secondhand smoke.

The main story highlights ARI and its partner organizations holding awareness sessions in 12 districts of Punjab and Sindh. These sessions aimed to involve communities, students, mothers, doctors, workers, smokers, and civil society in efforts to protect youth from smoking, help adults quit, and move Pakistan toward a smoke-free future.