Mapping of Tobacco Harm Reduction in Pakistan: An Alternative Option for Smoking Cessation Policies

Abstract

A high percentage of the Pakistani population between the ages of 25 and 35 years use the combustible smoking method compared to the tobacco harm reduction (THR) products, e-cigarettes, JUUL, and smokeless tobacco. Some of the challenges include high prices of e-cigarettes, regulatory challenges, and limited supply of refills exist. Although the adult smokers in Pakistan do know about the health issues, they are hardly assisted when it comes to quitting smoking and there are no cessation facilities. There is a strong influence of social forces on the perceptions of vaping, which often distracts reality facts about THR products. Barriers that impede the acceptability of THR in Pakistan are lack of knowledge, lack of information among the uneducated members of the society and societal aspects. These challenges need complex approaches that involve education and changing social perceptions in order to counter them. To form a more solid understanding of THR options, there should be an attempt to invest in the comprehensive education programmes, as well as specific informational campaigns. Strict rules governing the production, sale, and use of the vaping products should be established based on the demands of vapers to ban it and employing the services of the health professions in the training and awareness initiatives. As it has been observed in the media, THR discourses are the reserve of English newspapers, despite the fact that Urdu is the national language and is also popularly spoken as a second language. The informal information must inform the efficacy of THR products in level reducing the use of combustible cigarettes and health benefits.