June 2023 Newsletter

This newsletter begins by reviewing Pakistan’s tobacco-control journey almost two decades after the country ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. It says Pakistan has made some progress, but the dream of a future without tobacco smoking is still far away. The newsletter links this challenge with Sustainable Development Goal 3, which focuses on healthy lives and well-being.

The issue explains that Pakistan is not clearly reporting progress against the SDG tobacco-control target, while the numbers remain worrying. In 2020, current tobacco use among people aged 15 and above was reported at 20.2%, and 14.45% of people aged 15 and older smoked daily. The newsletter also notes that Pakistan’s smoking death rate is higher than several neighbouring countries, and that deaths linked to smoking and secondhand smoke in 2019 were reported at 165,208.

The newsletter says Pakistan needs multiple actions to move toward a future without smoking. One important step is new tobacco-control legislation, especially at the provincial level after health was devolved to the provinces. It also says Pakistan should review and adopt tobacco harm reduction in its tobacco-control plans. E-cigarettes and nicotine pouches are already being used in urban centres, but their use remains unregulated. The newsletter argues that these products should be sensibly regulated instead of simply banned.

The issue also includes international and educational articles. One article reports on GFN23, where speakers discussed nicotine in a fresh way and explained that the main harm from smoking comes from tar and smoke, not nicotine alone. Another article explains what snus is, how it differs from nicotine pouches, and why Sweden’s experience is important. The final article presents Sweden’s smoke-free revolution as a model for global health, showing how traditional tobacco-control measures combined with safer nicotine alternatives can reduce smoking rates.