Letter to the Editor regarding McKeon and Scott (2023) 'Smoke and mirrors: Support from psychiatrists for nicotine e-cigarette availability in Australia'
References: Hartmann-Boyce J, Lindson N, Butler AR, et al. (2022) Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 11: CD010216. McKeon G, Scott JG (2023) Smoke and mirrors: Support from psychiatrists for nicotine e-cigarette availability in Australia. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry 57: 169–180.
Tobacco Epidemic in Pakistan
Tobacco use in any form is deadly. Smoking kills more than half of all its regular users. According to WHO, the annual death toll attributable to tobacco is expected to rise from the current estimates of 5.4 million/year to 10 million/year by 2025. And over 70% of these deaths would be in the developing countries . Tobacco is the single most preventable cause of disease and death in the world today.
E-Cigarettes: A Gateway to Nicotine Addiction?
Tobacco industry has a long history of bringing various devices in order to keep their deadly business going; from rolled cigarettes, cigars, filtered cigarettes, light cigarettes, shisha and now to Electronic Cigarettes. E-cigarette are a class of products which deliver nicotine- containing aerosol to a user by heating a solution typically comprised of propylene glycol and/or glycerol (glycerin), nicotine and flavoring agents. E. cig have four parts: the battery, the heating element, the vaporizing chamber, and the solution cartridge.
Large Cigarette Tax Hikes, Illicit Producers, and Organized Crime: Lessons from Pakistan
With the stated aim of increasing revenue and discouraging smoking, Pakistan raised tobacco duties over the past five years. The result empowered illicit actors, with a flourishing of illicit production and smuggling of cigarettes. Revenue rose initially, only to fall back as untaxed products proliferated.
