November 2023 Newsletter

This newsletter begins with the story of Muhammad Haider Mehmood, a 26-year-old media monitor who started smoking in 2015 and soon reached about 20 cigarettes a day. He developed health problems including hypertension and breathing issues. He tried several times to quit smoking, but he could not succeed.

Haider said he asked friends and elders about how to quit smoking. They advised him to use gum and distract himself from cigarette cravings, but these methods did not work for him. He also visited a doctor, who gave him tablets for a short period, but the medicine did not help him quit. The newsletter notes that many smokers in Pakistan do not know where to seek proper help, and that less than 3% of smokers successfully quit in a year because cessation services are limited.

The issue also discusses other tobacco-control topics. One article explains how illicit tobacco trade remains a major challenge in several countries because cheap illegal cigarettes make it harder for smokers to quit and reduce the effect of tobacco taxes. Another article reports that the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World would no longer accept funding from the nicotine industry and would look for new funders outside the industry.

The newsletter also includes a UK guide for health and social care providers on vaping. The guide explains that the main priority is to help people move away from smoking tobacco, even if they do not immediately stop using nicotine. Another article reports that studies do not support the claim that e-cigarettes are a gateway into smoking; instead, some evidence suggests vaping may act as a gateway out of smoking. The issue ends with ARI’s call for the Tobacco Control Cell to hold broad consultations and prepare a long-term plan to end combustible smoking in Pakistan.