Eline Goethals, Chris Bostic & Megan Manning The evidence for the tobacco endgame is there. The policies exist, and the public is ready. On average, 72% of people across countries support phasing out commercial cigarette sales. In the Netherlands, 63% of young people agree the tobacco and vape industry should not exist. Jurisdictions in the […]
Latest articles
Bangladesh’s Tobacco Control Law Amendment 2025: A Bold Step for Public Health
Md. Hasan Shahriar, Md. Mehedi Hasan, Md. Shahedul Alam & ABM Zubair. Bangladesh’s Tobacco Control Law Amendment 2025: A Bold Step for Public Health Bangladesh remains among the countries most heavily burdened by tobacco use, with more than one-third of adults consuming tobacco and an estimated 130,000 tobacco-attributable deaths each year. The resulting health, environmental, […]
Behind Closed Doors: Tobacco industry lobbying in the EU aims to weaken health policies worldwide
Martin Drago, Cassandre Bigaignon & Jorge Alday A new report, Behind Closed Doors: How the Tobacco Lobby Influences the European Union and Beyond, exposes the scale and tactics of well-resourced, coordinated tobacco industry lobbying at the heart of decision-making within the European Union (EU) and its current focus on increasing the availability of the industry’s […]
India’s Tobacco Taxation Reform 2025-26: A Paradigm Shift with Persisting Disparities
Rijo M. John, PhD The tobacco taxation regime in India remained largely unchanged following the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in 2017. This situation evolved following deliberations at the 56th meeting of the GST Council in September 2025 and the enactment of subsequent legislation. Together these initiated a comprehensive restructuring of the […]
The European Prison Smoking Ban Ruling: An Urgent Wake-Up Call for Tobacco Control Litigation
By: Aikaterini (Katerina) Tsampi On 4 November 2025, in the case of Vainik and Others v. Estonia, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) issued a judgment that could have serious implications for health rights and tobacco control policies in Europe (Council of Europe Member States) – if not beyond. The ECtHR found that the […]
2025 Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index: Tobacco Industry interference sabotage governments’ efforts globally to protect public health is aggressive and blatant
Mary Assunta & Yodhim Dela Rosa The latest Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index (the Index) has found the tobacco industry (TI) continues to be aggressive and blatant in its attempts to undermine governments’ efforts to implement tobacco control measures. Policymakers from non-health government ministries such as finance, commerce, trade and agriculture were specifically targeted and […]
Experts urge the Swiss government to join most countries of the world by ratifying the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
Swiss healthcare professionals are urging the government to ratify the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) without delay. Their concerns come at a pivotal moment: the 11th Meeting of the Parties (COP11) is taking place in Geneva in November 2025, yet Switzerland remains one of the few countries that has not ratified the treaty […]
Can COP11 Help Determine What Can Be Done Beyond the Courts to Advance Article 19?
At the Tenth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), Parties initiated efforts to revive a critical but underused provision of the WHO FCTC: Article 19 on liability—based on a finding that the tobacco industry continues to escape liability and has now moved […]
When journalism turns into marketing: Philip Morris’ paid content in Swiss media during heated tobacco policy discussions
Angeliki Balantani & Kris Schürch In recent years, tobacco multinationals such as Philip Morris International (PMI) have rapidly expanded the global market for heated tobacco products (HTPs) and have intensified its promotion through paid media content that imitates independent journalism. We document the systematic use of this strategy in Switzerland, where HTP use has risen […]
“#Anywhere, Anytime:” Smartphone Vape Cases
Eric Shanazari, Reid C. Whaley, Jennifer B. Unger & Artur Galimov. Smartphones and social media dominate the lives of young adults and e-cigarettes are increasingly also part of the picture. Emerging nicotine products enable users to engage in all three behaviors through a single device. E-cigarette companies have produced products that appeal to youth, including […]