Update: On 1 August, 140 youth and students held a protest rally at the World Trade Centre in Bangkok, location of the Philip Morris International offices, to show support for 85% pictorial warnings, and to symbolise “140 deaths from tobacco use every day” in the country. View a video of the rally here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXsWjL8VplE Open letter 1 August 2013 To: […]
Category: Tobacco Industry
World No Tobacco Day: a wrap up of reports and pictures from around the world
World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is held every year on 31 May. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and partners everywhere highlight the health risks associated with tobacco use and advocate for effective policies to reduce tobacco consumption. In 2013, the theme was ban tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. A comprehensive ban of all tobacco […]
Thailand: tobacco industry takes legal action to block public health measures
In a story familiar to Health Ministries who act in accordance with the requirements of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to protect the health of their citizens, the Thai Ministry of Health is facing legal action from the tobacco industry against a policy to increase the size of cigarette pack health warnings to 85%. Japan Tobacco filed […]
Southeast Asia: New report on child labour in the tobacco industry
A new report has been released by The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) entitled Child labour in tobacco cultivation in the ASEAN Region. Launched in Jakarta, Indonesia on 12 June in commemoration of World Day Against Child Labour, the report is a response to the major problem of child labour in the cultivation of tobacco in […]
Tobacco industry-commissioned report: large decline in EU consumption, almost no change in illegal trade
Konstantin Krasovsky Alcohol and Drug Information Center (ADIC-Ukraine), Kiev, Ukraine krasovskyk@gmail.com On April 17, 2013 Philip Morris International (PMI) issued a press release, based on an annual study conducted by KPMG. PMI claimed the most significant finding of the study is that: “For the sixth year in a row, the illegal trade of cigarettes in […]
Timor-Leste: Asia’s newest country in Marlboro’s sights as company targets growth markets
Mary Assunta Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance At its annual shareholder meeting in New York on 8 May, Philip Morris International (PMI) celebrated yet another successful year selling tobacco in more than 180 markets. In 2012 the company shipped 927 billion cigarettes, and earned revenue of more than $31 billion. It applauded the fact its […]
Japan Society for Tobacco Control warns against appointing ex tobacco executive to national broadcaster
Manabu Sakuta President of the Japan Society for Tobacco Control According to an article published on 13 May in Nihon Keizai Shinbun (Japan’s equivalent of the Wall Street Journal ) the former president of Japan Tobacco Company Mr Katsuhiko Honda is being considered for appointment as the next Chief Executive Officer of Japan Broadcasting Company […]
UK: Government condemned for bowing to tobacco industry over plain packs
Author credit: Marita Hefler and Stan Shatenstein On 2 May, the Sun newspaper reported that the UK government had decided to abandon cigarette plain packaging legislation. An announcement about the legislation had been widely tipped to be included in the Queen’s speech at the start of the next parliamentary session on 8 May. No other […]
“If it’s not cancer, I’ll give up smoking”
“I promise you, I will do everything I can to make sure you did not die in vain. I will tell the world your story, and the story of other people killed by tobacco. I will challenge the tobacco industry, the tobacco lobbyists, and the politicians who listen to them.” Replacement smokers are the lifeblood of the […]
The marketing of e-cigarettes: a UK snapshot
Marisa de Andrade & Gerard Hastings Institute for Social Marketing; University of Stirling marisa.deandrade1@stir.ac.uk Editor’s note: The United Kingdom’s health regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), is currently considering how to regulate ecigarettes. Given that marketing of these e-cigarettes is of particular concern, Marisa de Andrade and Gerard Hastings were commissioned by […]