October 2023 Newsletter

This newsletter begins with the story of Ahmed Ali, a 33-year-old MBBS student who started smoking in 2017 and gradually reached more than 20 cigarettes a day. He developed health problems including acidity, cough attacks, upset stomach, and diarrhea. After trying another nicotine product without success, he visited a doctor in Rawalpindi, who advised him to try e-cigarettes as a less harmful option to give up smoking.

According to the newsletter, Ahmed switched from smoking to vaping and said he had not used cigarettes after that. He also reported improvement in stomach problems, diarrhea, and cough attacks. He reduced the nicotine level in his vaping from 50mg to 25mg and said he wanted to reduce it further. The newsletter notes that Pakistan has more than 450 vaping outlets in major cities, but e-cigarettes are still being used without clear regulation.

The issue also discusses the exclusion of tobacco harm reduction from COP10. It explains that tobacco harm reduction can help adult smokers switch to safer alternatives and eventually quit smoking completely. The newsletter argues that excluding THR from global tobacco-control discussions is risky because 1.1 billion people still smoke globally, and most smokers live in low- and middle-income countries.

The newsletter also says Pakistan needs to make tobacco harm reduction part of its national tobacco-control policy. Pakistan has more than 31 million tobacco users, including 17 million cigarette smokers, and less than 3% of adult smokers successfully quit in a year because of limited cessation services. A study discussed in the issue estimates that Pakistan could save 1.2 million lives by adopting THR and related measures, including better diagnosis, better access to cessation services, and treatment of lung cancer. The issue also reports the appointment of Clifford E. Douglas as president of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World and ARI’s webinar on the role of THR in reducing smoking in Pakistan.