Tobacco industry versus tobacco control

Abstract

May 31 is World No Tobacco Day. This year's theme is tobacco industry interference, chosen, in WHO's words, “to expose and counter the tobacco industry's brazen and increasingly aggressive attempts to undermine the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC)”.In its 2008 report Tobacco industry interference with tobacco control, WHO outlines “the long history and the extent of tobacco industry efforts to avoid, delay and dilute” effective tobacco control policies. Key methods include lobbying, political donations, exploiting legislative loopholes, undermining or countering research, and funding groups or individuals to advance the tobacco industry's objectives. Examples include the industry's attempts to counter research by the International Agency for Research on Cancer that showed the link between passive smoking and lung cancer, and to undermine the US Environmental Protection Agency's assessment of the risks associated with second-hand smoke. Direct funding of business analysts, scientists, and even historians has been important in promoting the interests of the tobacco industry over those of public health.In China, the tobacco industry continues to exert major influence, despite China's ratification of the FCTC in 2005. A glimmer of hope for change rests with China's 12th 5-year Plan, which mentions tobacco control for the first time, and calls for smoke-free public places. Moreover, at the launch of the 2012 China themed issue of The Lancet in Shanghai on March 31, Health Minister Chen Zhu pledged to ramp up tobacco control at provincial and local levels.In Turkey, where tobacco control efforts are reducing smoking rates, tobacco production still generates substantial revenue for the government, and greater scrutiny of the tobacco industry is warranted. The bid to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes in Australia has led to trademark violation claims by the industry, and even claims under bilateral investment treaties, along with other defensive strategies.There is no sign of weakening of the tobacco industry's resolve to counter control measures. Tackling industry interference with tobacco control continues to be an essential component of public health strategy, and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. May 31 is World No Tobacco Day. This year's theme is tobacco industry interference, chosen, in WHO's words, “to expose and counter the tobacco industry's brazen and increasingly aggressive attempts to undermine the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC)”. In its 2008 report Tobacco industry interference with tobacco control, WHO outlines “the long history and the extent of tobacco industry efforts to avoid, delay and dilute” effective tobacco control policies. Key methods include lobbying, political donations, exploiting legislative loopholes, undermining or countering research, and funding groups or individuals to advance the tobacco industry's objectives. Examples include the industry's attempts to counter research by the International Agency for Research on Cancer that showed the link between passive smoking and lung cancer, and to undermine the US Environmental Protection Agency's assessment of the risks associated with second-hand smoke. Direct funding of business analysts, scientists, and even historians has been important in promoting the interests of the tobacco industry over those of public health. In China, the tobacco industry continues to exert major influence, despite China's ratification of the FCTC in 2005. A glimmer of hope for change rests with China's 12th 5-year Plan, which mentions tobacco control for the first time, and calls for smoke-free public places. Moreover, at the launch of the 2012 China themed issue of The Lancet in Shanghai on March 31, Health Minister Chen Zhu pledged to ramp up tobacco control at provincial and local levels. In Turkey, where tobacco control efforts are reducing smoking rates, tobacco production still generates substantial revenue for the government, and greater scrutiny of the tobacco industry is warranted. The bid to introduce plain packaging for cigarettes in Australia has led to trademark violation claims by the industry, and even claims under bilateral investment treaties, along with other defensive strategies. There is no sign of weakening of the tobacco industry's resolve to counter control measures. Tackling industry interference with tobacco control continues to be an essential component of public health strategy, and is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. Turkey wins plaudits for tobacco controlAhead of World No Tobacco Day on May 31, Sharmila Devi reports from Istanbul on Turkey's progress with tobacco control, which has been gaining international recognition. Full-Text PDF