June 2021 Newsletter

The June 2021 issue highlights the continued global burden of tobacco use. More than three decades after the first World No Tobacco Day, millions of people still die every year from tobacco-related diseases and more than one billion people continue to smoke. The newsletter argues that existing health policies and traditional cessation efforts have not been enough.

The main message of the issue is that adult smokers should either quit combustible tobacco or switch to less harmful nicotine-based alternatives. The newsletter presents tobacco harm reduction as a practical addition to classic cessation efforts, especially for smokers who want to quit but do not find existing options useful.

The issue also frames tobacco cessation as part of the right to health. It says governments have an obligation to provide cessation support and to help tobacco users stop before they develop serious disease. It refers to Article 14 of the FCTC, which requires countries to address tobacco dependence and cessation.

Pakistan is also discussed in this issue. One section questions whether Pakistan’s anti-tobacco award reflects real progress, given the continuing high number of tobacco users and easy access to tobacco products. Another section reports the government’s clarification that the Tobacco Control Cell had not been disbanded.

The newsletter also looks at e-cigarette regulation in Europe and Japan’s experience with reduced-risk products. It suggests that Pakistan can learn from countries that have used innovation, awareness, and less harmful alternatives to reduce smoking.

• The newsletter marks World No Tobacco Day by highlighting that tobacco still causes around 8 million deaths every year.
• More than 1 billion people worldwide still smoke, showing that existing policies have not been enough.
• FSFW urged adult smokers to quit combustible tobacco or switch to less harmful nicotine-based alternatives.
• Harm-reduction products discussed include e-cigarettes, snus, nicotine pouches, and heated tobacco products.
• The issue says doctors should play a more active role in helping smokers quit.
• The newsletter frames tobacco cessation as part of the right to health.
• Governments have a duty to provide cessation support under Article 14 of the FCTC.
• Pakistan received a WHO anti-tobacco award, but the newsletter questions whether real tobacco use has declined enough.
• The Ministry of National Health Services clarified that the Tobacco Control Cell had not been disbanded.
• The European Commission was weighing both the benefits and risks of e-cigarettes.
• The newsletter suggests Pakistan can learn from Japan’s use of innovation and reduced-risk products.