E. Ulysses Dorotheo On World Health Day (April 7), more than 50 public health and tobacco control groups, led by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), submitted a petition to WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, protesting the Philippines’ nomination to preside over the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA) taking place in Geneva in […]
Category: Tobacco industry interference
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 […]
Uruguay: civil society challenges tobacco industry interference
Laura LlambÍ, Diego Rodriguez, Beatriz Goja, Adriana Rodriguez, Ana Lorenzo Over the past few decades, Uruguay has secured great achievements in tobacco control, followed in turn, by favourable health outcomes. After becoming the first indoor-smoke-free country in the Americas region in 2006, a comprehensive tobacco control law was passed in 2008. By this time, the Uruguayan government […]
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 […]
Tobacco Control stalwart Margaretha Haglund has died
Margaretha Haglund, Maggan (1948–2022) The International Network of Women Against Tobacco (INWAT) announced on Wednesday 7th September that life-long tobacco control advocate Margaretha Haglund, or Maggan, as she was known, passed away on Saturday, 3 September. Maggan was a long-term pioneer in tobacco control, working in the field for nearly 50 years […]
R J Reynolds allegedly attempts to pay Pastor to speak out against U.S. menthol ban
An investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ) has revealed that Detroit Pastor Rev. Horace Sheffield, a prominent Black civil rights activist, was offered as much as $250,000 to speak out against the proposed federal menthol ban in the United States (U.S.). Back in May 2022, Rev. Sheffield had written an editorial in support […]
Interference by Big Tobacco in South Asia warrants a closer look
Aishwarya Ashok, Upendra Bhojani, Shivam Kapoor and Pranay Lal South Asia experiences unprecedented levels of tobacco industry interference and the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the sheer vulnerability of the region. When Bangladesh was on the brink of a nationwide lockdown, two Transnational Tobacco Companies (TTCs) lobbied the government to continue cigarette production claiming them to be […]
Bangladesh Disqualifies Tobacco Companies from the President’s Award: A Welcome Step in the Right Direction
ABM Zubair The Ministry of Industries (MoInd) of Bangladesh has issued a new policy that prevents tobacco manufacturers and associated companies from receiving the prestigious President’s Award for Industrial Development. The MoInd has recently been criticised by public health activists after it selected British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB), the largest manufacturer of tobacco products in […]