The Tobacco Epidemic and the Commercial Sector: Tobacco Industry Strategies to Increase Profits and Prevent Regulation

2015 ◽  
pp. 27-36
Author(s):  
Heide Weishaar
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Commercial Sector ◽  
Tobacco Epidemic

scholarly journals Tobacco-Free Investment: Harnessing the Power of the Finance Industry in Comprehensive Tobacco Control

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 161
Author(s):  
Bronwyn King ◽  
Clare Payne ◽  
Emily Stone
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
High Income ◽  
Global Finance ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Finance Industry ◽  
Tobacco Epidemic ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Industrialised Countries ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Leveraging the power of the global financial sector is emerging as a powerful, targeted strategy in tobacco control. The tobacco epidemic has been in decline in many high income nations since the 1960s but shows few signs of abating in low and middle income nations, with the tobacco industry offsetting regulatory restrictions and shrinking markets in industrialised countries by actively promoting tobacco use in poorer countries with weaker tobacco control. Lung cancer rates and tobacco-related mortality statistics reflect these changes with levels declining in high income countries but yet to peak in low and middle income countries. This contrast calls for new approaches that can cross borders, transcend the barriers between legislative domains and offer a truly international approach. Tobacco Free Portfolios works collaboratively with the global finance sector to inform, advance and prioritise tobacco-free investment. This initiative aims to encourage finance leaders to reflect on and reconsider commercial relationships with the tobacco industry, urging them to be part of the solution when it comes to addressing one of greatest global challenges of our time.

A Systematic Review of Tobacco Industry Tactics in Southeast Asia: Lessons for Other Low- And MiddleIncome Regions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianna Gayle Herrera Amul ◽  
Grace Ping Ping Tan ◽  
Yvette van der Eijk
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Tobacco Marketing ◽  
Tobacco Epidemic ◽  
Transnational Tobacco Companies

Background: Transnational tobacco companies (TTCs) have a well-established presence in Southeast Asia and are now targeting other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), especially Africa. While the tobacco industry’s tactics in Southeast Asia are well documented, no study has systematically reviewed these tactics to inform tobacco control policies and movements in Africa, where the tobacco epidemic is spreading. Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review of articles that describe tobacco industry tactics in Southeast Asia, which includes Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Myanmar, East Timor, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Brunei. After screening 512 articles, we gathered and analysed data from 134 articles which met our final inclusion criteria. Results: Tobacco transnationals gained dominance in Southeast Asian markets by positioning themselves as good corporate citizens with corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, promoting the industry as a pillar of, and partner for, economic growth. Tobacco transnationals also formed strategic sectoral alliances and reinforced their political ties to delay the implementation of regulations and lobby for weaker tobacco control. Where governments resisted the transnationals’ attempts to enter a market, they used litigation and deceptive tactics including smuggling to pressure governments to open markets, and tarnished the reputation of public health organizations. The tobacco industry undermined tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS) regulations through a broad range of direct and indirect marketing tactics. Conclusion: The experience of Southeast Asia with tobacco transnationals show that, beyond highlighting the public health benefits, underscoring the economic benefits of tobacco control might be a more compelling argument for governments in LMICs to prioritise tobacco control. Given the tobacco industry’s widespread use of litigation, LMICs need more legal support and resources to counter industry litigations. LMICs should also prioritize measures to protect health policy from the vested interests of the tobacco industry, and to close regulatory loopholes in tobacco marketing restrictions.

Tactics of the tobacco industry in an Arab nation: a review of tobacco documents in Oman

2021 ◽  
pp. tobaccocontrol-2021-056623
Author(s):  
Jawad A Al-Lawati ◽  
Stella A Bialous
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Code Of Conduct ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Health Warnings ◽  
Government Officials ◽  
Control Policies ◽  
Public Health Policies ◽  
Tobacco Control Policies ◽  
Tobacco Epidemic

BackgroundFew studies have investigated tobacco industry interference in the tobacco control policies of Arab nations. This paper explores the tactics used by the industry to subvert tobacco control policies in Oman and offers lessons on how to prevent such interference in the future.MethodsWe searched the Truth Tobacco Industry Documents Archive using the word ‘Oman’, names of government institutions, policymakers and local tobacco distributors. Extracted data were noted chronologically by key elements of tobacco control measures. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Health Ministers’ Council resolutions on tobacco control were also reviewed.ResultsOut of 1020 tobacco documents located, 327 were closely related to policy interference. Documents revealed that the industry met key government officials, offered in-kind services, used local diplomatic missions to influence Omani policymakers, opposed smoking bans, delayed regulations to lower tar and nicotine content of cigarettes, and to require effective health warnings, circumvented a tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship ban and provided voluntary codes as an alternative to effective regulations. Additionally, industry representatives lobbied individual countries in the GCC to veto tax increments and defeat consensus on agreed resolutions of the Health Ministers’ Council.ConclusionThe tobacco industry interfered in all key public health policies aimed to reduce tobacco use in Oman. There is an urgent need for the Omani government to enforce the Civil Code of Conduct and develop guidelines for all policymakers through implementing Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to curb the tobacco epidemic.

The Social and Political Context of the Tobacco Epidemic: Nursing Research and Scholarship on the Tobacco Industry

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth E. Malone
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Political Context ◽  
Divide And Conquer ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Practice Research ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Nursing Research ◽  
Tobacco Epidemic ◽  
Conducting Research

Context matters in addressing tobacco as a global nursing issue. The tobacco epidemic and its resulting health consequences are in great measure the result of industrial decisions over the past century that included deliberately enhancing the addictiveness of cigarettes, marketing them aggressively to vulnerable groups, hiding or manipulating knowledge about the products’ harmfulness, and undermining public health efforts. The efforts of the tobacco industry to perpetuate the idea that smoking is solely a problem of individual behavior, or even a “right,” still creates barriers to understanding the larger social and political context within which individuals use and attempt to quit tobacco. Nurses have been among the researchers worldwide who are studying tobacco industry activities and their role in policy and public health. This chapter reviews data sources, methods, and analytic approaches for conducting research using documents from the tobacco industry, and provides an overview of research conducted by nurses on this topic. Much of the nursing research to date on the tobacco industry focuses in four broad areas: (1) tobacco industry influence on policy; (2) tobacco industry strategic responses to public health efforts, including use of front groups and attempts to divide and conquer public health advocates; (3) tobacco industry targeting of marginalized groups; and (4) tobacco industry influence on science. Implications of this work for nursing practice, research, and policy intervention are discussed.

scholarly journals Tobacco control in Europe: a policy review

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (140) ◽  
pp. 151-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Bertollini ◽  
Sofia Ribeiro ◽  
Kristina Mauer-Stender ◽  
Gauden Galea
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
World Health ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Political Commitment ◽  
Policy Review ◽  
The Status ◽  
Tobacco Epidemic ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Health Objectives

Tobacco is responsible for the death of 6 million people every year globally, of whom 700 000 are in Europe. Effective policies for tobacco control exist; however, the status of their implementation varies across the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region. In order to tackle the tobacco epidemic, action has been taken though the implementation of both legally binding and non-legally binding measures. This article aims to present the achievements and challenges of tobacco control in Europe, focussing on the available legally binding instruments such as the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and the revision of the Tobacco Products Directive at the European Union level. Tobacco still faces heavy lobbying of the tobacco industry, which has systematically contrasted policies to achieve public health objectives. The legal instruments for tobacco control in Europe presented here are not always adequately enforced in all the countries and there is certainly room for improving their implementation. Finally, the need for a strong political commitment towards the end-game of the tobacco epidemic is emphasised.

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