The Association for Smoking Alternatives in Pakistan (ASAP), a non-profit registered under the SECP, has called for greater accuracy in communicating scientific research, warning that viral misinformation and selective reporting are creating widespread confusion around smoking, nicotine, and tobacco harm reduction.
Quitting Remains Best, But Context Matters
The organization reiterated that quitting tobacco and nicotine altogether remains the best public health outcome but warned that sensational headlines and viral social media content often strip scientific research of its clinical context, leaving the public with a misleading understanding of the evidence.
Dr Aftab Ahmed Khan, a public health expert, said one of the studies most frequently cited in viral videos, published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology, is often presented without explaining the clinical population it actually examined.
He stated, “The study looked at the healing process in eyes that had already sustained serious damage. Because nicotine temporarily constricts blood vessels, continuing to consume nicotine may slow recovery compared with complete abstinence. Complete cessation remains the preferred outcome. However, it is equally important that the findings are interpreted within the clinical context of the people who were actually studied and are not generalized in ways the research itself does not support.”
Founder Calls for Science-Based Guidance
Commenting on the issue, Mirza Abeer, founder of ASAP, said there should be no ambiguity about the public health objective. He said, “People living with nicotine addiction deserve medical guidance grounded in science. When studies are presented selectively or without their proper context, public understanding suffers. Scientific evidence should help smokers make informed decisions about moving away from combustible cigarettes, not create confusion by drawing conclusions that extend beyond what the research actually examined.”
Misinformation Affects Policy and Markets
ASAP further warned that misinformation can also influence policymaking. According to Anwar Kashif Mumtaz, a lawyer and economist, “When reduced-risk alternatives are taxed or regulated in exactly the same way as combustible cigarettes, consumer demand does not simply disappear. Instead, the market becomes more attractive for illicit trade, reducing legitimate tax collection while making regulation even more difficult. Public policy should be informed by robust scientific evidence rather than public perceptions shaped by misinformation.”
ASAP maintained that smoking cessation should remain the cornerstone of public health policy while emphasizing that scientific evidence, not misinformation, should guide both public understanding and policymaking. The organization called for responsible reporting that keeps the focus on the well-established harms of smoking while enabling informed discussions on harm reduction.
