August 2024 Newsletter

The August 2024 issue focuses on nicotine products, tobacco control, and smoking cessation. The lead story reports that Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health Services told the National Assembly that Velo nicotine pouches are non-tobacco products and do not fall under the ministry’s current regulatory mandate. The ministry also said it had not issued any licence to cigarette companies for the manufacture or sale of these pouches.

The newsletter explains that the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan has analysed nicotine pouches and has not recommended their use because nicotine is highly addictive. The ministry is also forming a working group of experts from health product regulation and tobacco control to prepare recommendations for control or regulation.

The issue also discusses the benefits of quitting smoking. It explains that the body begins to recover after a person stops smoking. Taste and smell improve, breathing becomes easier, energy increases, and the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and other smoking-related diseases decreases over time.

Another article reports that Global Action to End Smoking filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court to support a public-health standard in e-cigarette regulation. The article argues that adult smokers should have access to scientifically proven lower-risk options while youth should be protected from nicotine use.

The newsletter also covers a record low cigarette smoking rate in the United States, research showing that naswar contains toxic and cancer-causing substances, tobacco use among 70.2 million adults in Indonesia, and a report showing that the number of adults who vape in the United Kingdom has reached a record level.

• The main story says Pakistan’s Health Ministry considers Velo nicotine pouches non-tobacco products.
• The ministry said it has not issued any licence for the manufacture or sale of Velo pouches.
• DRAP analysed nicotine pouches and did not recommend their use because nicotine is highly addictive.
• A working group is being formed to prepare recommendations for control or regulation.
• Quitting smoking improves breathing, energy, taste, smell, heart health, and long-term disease risk.
• Global Action to End Smoking moved the U.S. Supreme Court for a public-health standard in e-cigarette regulation.
• The cigarette smoking rate in the United States has reached an 80-year low.
• Research says naswar contains toxic and cancer-causing substances.
• The GATS study found that 70.2 million adults use tobacco in Indonesia.
• The number of adults who vape in the United Kingdom has reached a record level.

The main story reports that Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health Services told the National Assembly that Velo nicotine pouches are non-tobacco products and do not fall under its regulatory mandate. The ministry said it had not issued any licence to any cigarette company for the sale or manufacture of Velo pouches. It also said a working group is being formed to suggest control or regulation of these products.