ARI projects support evidence-based public-health discussion, tobacco harm reduction, smoking cessation, research sharing, and policy engagement in Pakistan.
Pakistan Alliance for Nicotine and Tobacco Harm Reduction (PANTHR) is an ARI initiative aimed at promoting innovative solutions for smoking cessation in Pakistan.
Pakistan is a country with heavy use of tobacco. With more than 24 million tobacco users, the country is also one of the top ten raw tobacco producers in the world.
Despite successes in tobacco control efforts, Pakistan continues to witness a constant increase in the number of tobacco users. After almost two decades of tobacco control efforts, Pakistan has reached a stage where it needs to find innovative approaches to help smokers quit smoking.
While remaining committed to and supporting tobacco control efforts in Pakistan, especially Article 14 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), PANTHR serves as a platform for advocating and promoting innovative solutions for ending smoking.
Practical and innovative approaches that can help smokers quit smoking.
Evidence-based harm reduction approaches as part of wider tobacco control efforts.
Research, scientific work, and initiatives related to safer nicotine delivery systems.
Smoke Free Pakistan is a knowledge hub on ending combustible smoking in Pakistan. The project consolidates relevant research, information, policy material, and public-health knowledge to support informed discussion and better policymaking.
It has been two decades since Pakistan passed the first law against tobacco use: the Smoking and Protection of Non-Smoker's Health Ordinance 2002. Two years later, the country ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
There have been successes against tobacco use. These include bans on possessing, selling, or offering for sale packets of cigarettes without health warning, sale of cigarettes in loose form, manufacturing, importing, and selling cigarette packs having less than 20 cigarette sticks, declaring places of public work or use completely smoke-free, illegalization of designated smoking areas, and enhancing the size of pictorial health warnings on cigarette packs and outers.
However, the implementation of these measures has remained weak. The number of adult smokers is still on the rise. According to some estimates, today the number of smokers has reached 29 million.
Some estimates say nearly 108,000 people die because of tobacco use in a year in Pakistan, while other estimates say nearly 168,000 lose their lives to tobacco use. There is also almost no data available on availing smoking cessation facilities.
Another emerging trend is the use of nicotine vaping products in Pakistan. Legally imported and expensive, these nicotine vaping products are available in upscale localities of major cities. However, currently there is no policy regulation regarding the use of nicotine vaping products.
Consolidates research, data, policy material, and public-health information.
Supports new research, systematic reviews, meta-analysis, and evidence generation.
Shares findings with policymakers, health professionals, and civil society.
Pakistan Alliance for Nicotine and Tobacco Harm Reduction promotes innovative solutions for smoking cessation and harm reduction.
Explore ARI publications, reports, and explainers on tobacco control, public health, smoking cessation, and harm reduction.
Read research-based articles and analysis on safer nicotine, tobacco harm reduction, public health, and policy issues.
ARI provides research-based solutions in health, education, governance, culture, monitoring, evaluation, and outreach.