June 2026 Newsletter

The June 2026 issue focuses on community participation in preventing youth smoking and helping adult smokers quit. ARI and its partners conducted awareness activities across seven districts of Punjab and Sindh, bringing together local communities, tobacco users, students, civil society members, mothers, and laborers.

The sessions explained the harms caused by combustible tobacco and discussed practical cessation support, including counselling, nicotine replacement therapy, medicines, professional medical support, and tobacco harm reduction. They also encouraged smoke-free homes and public places, open communication with young people, and better ways to manage stress and peer pressure.

Smokers’ Corner shares the experiences of two men whose repeated quit or reduction attempts were affected by social situations, stress, depression, and limited awareness of professional services. Their stories show why willpower alone may not be enough and why accessible cessation support is important.

The newsletter also explains that nicotine pouches are addictive and not risk-free, but are significantly less harmful than combustible cigarettes. It discusses the FDA authorization allowing 20 named ZYN products to communicate reduced disease risk for adults who switch completely from cigarettes.

Other articles highlight Global Action’s research and grant achievements, ARI’s demand for the public release of Pakistan’s GATS 2024 data, and a sustainability assessment showing that tobacco control systems in several low- and middle-income countries remain financially and institutionally weak. Pakistan received the lowest score among the six assessed countries.

• ARI and its partners held awareness activities on ending smoking in seven districts of Punjab and Sindh.
• The sessions focused on protecting young people, helping adults quit, and involving communities in smoke-free action.
• Participants learned about counselling, nicotine replacement therapy, medicines, tobacco harm reduction, stress management, and nicotine withdrawal.
• Smokers’ Corner shows how social influence, stress, depression, and low awareness of cessation services make quitting difficult.
• Nicotine pouches are addictive and not risk-free, but are significantly less harmful than combustible cigarettes.
• The FDA authorized 20 named ZYN products to communicate reduced disease risk for adults who switch completely from cigarettes.
• Global Action supported more than 30 grants in over 20 countries during 2025.
• ARI called for the public release of Pakistan’s GATS 2024 data, which reports a 15.7 percent decline in tobacco use since 2014.
• An estimated 22.7 million adults in Pakistan still use tobacco, while tobacco-related disease causes about 164,000 deaths each year.
• A sustainability report ranked Pakistan lowest among six assessed LMICs, with a score of 35 out of 130.

The main story highlights ARI and its partner organizations’ community awareness activities in seven districts of Punjab and Sindh. The sessions brought together community members, tobacco users, vapers, students, mothers, laborers, and civil society representatives to discuss youth smoking prevention, practical quitting support, tobacco harm reduction, and the role of communities in making homes and public places smoke-free.

The article says effective implementation of tobacco control laws and accessible cessation services remain major challenges in Pakistan. It calls for counselling, nicotine replacement therapy, medicines, medical support, and community action to help adult smokers quit and protect young people from starting smoking.