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 […]
Category: Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
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 […]
Report Reveals that Tobacco Control Treaty Progress is Slipping
Les Hagen, Garima Bhatt, Rakesh Gupta, Sonu Goel, Opinder Preet Kaur Gill & Tara Singh Bam Twenty years after the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) came into force, the landmark treaty has reduced global tobacco use by an estimated 118 million people. However, according to a new civil society report produced […]
Nepal Leads with 100% Graphic Health Warnings in Tobacco: A Global Benchmark in Tobacco Control
Kiran Paudel, Kamal Gautam, Sangam Shah, Roman Shrestha. Nepal has achieved a historic public health milestone by becoming the first country in the world to implement 100% pictorial health warnings on cigarette packs. Following the legislation being passed, the Government of Nepal is notifying all tobacco companies about the new health warning requirements. After a […]
Tobacco Industry Interference in Spanish Tobacco Product Waste Management
Laurent Huber, Raquel Fernández Megina, Ubaldo Cuadrado. On October 22, 2024, the Spanish government released Royal Decree1093/2024 to regulate the management and cleanup of waste from tobacco products. The decree applies to tobacco product filters and single-use filters that contain plastic used with tobacco products, to comply with the European Directive (EU) 2019/904 of the European […]
Advancing Environmental Protection at COP10: Implications for Tobacco’s Toxic Plastics and Extended Producer Responsibility
Deborah Sy In the ongoing battle against plastic pollution to protect the marine environment, a decision at COP10 on the implementation of Article 18 (Protection of the Environment) serves as a beacon of hope. Every year, some 4.5 trillion littered plastic cigarette butts contribute to the consistent ranking for the top plastic items in debris […]
Global Plastics Treaty must align with Global Tobacco Control Treaty
Debby Sy and Laurent Huber In March 2022, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) mandated the negotiations of a global plastics treaty which is expected to include Single Use Plastics (SUPs), under which cigarette butts have been categorized. The UNEA Resolution encourages broad multi-stakeholder involvement including the private sector. There is no indication that the […]
Japan Tobacco International sponsored event cancelled at Scottish Nationalist Party conference but Coca Cola obesity event goes ahead
Sheila Duffy The Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP) is a political party which was just one seat short of a majority in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. The SNP currently runs the administration of the Scottish Government in a cooperation agreement with the Scottish Green Party. ASH Scotland became aware of a proposed fringe event organised […]
Will a new FIA President help Formula One Quit Tobacco?
Phil Chamberlain As the season ends, recent trends suggest Formula One will be congratulating itself on record global audiences through 2021. Arguably, the sport’s wider impact is not as healthy. STOP published a report this year that revealed how Philip Morris International (PMI) and British American Tobacco (BAT) are using their sponsorship of the Ferrari […]