Tobacco harm reduction in Pakistan: Learning from Sweden’s success
MNP – Tobacco use remains a significant public health challenge in Pakistan, with over 25.4 million users and a high prevalence of smoking-related diseases.
Despite various tobacco control measures, the smoking rate remains stubbornly high. To address this, Pakistan can look to Sweden’s successful tobacco harm reduction (THR) strategies as a model for reducing smoking rates and improving public health outcomes.
Sweden has become a global leader in tobacco harm reduction, achieving remarkable results through the widespread adoption of better alternatives of nicotine products like snus, nicotine pouches and e-cigarettes into a broader tobacco control strategy.
This approach has led to Sweden having one of the lowest smoking rates in the world, with only 5.6% of adults smoking. The country’s focus on harm reduction has resulted in significantly lower rates of tobacco-related diseases, including a 41% lower cancer rate compared to the European average.
This success has resulted due to the legalization and promotion of safer alternatives to smoking. The country also invested in creating advocacy amongst the public about the benefits of harm reduction products, leading to greater acceptance and use of these alternatives.
