Benjamin Hawkins, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Ben.Hawkins@lshtm.ac.uk Ross MacKenzie, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia British American Tobacco’s (BAT) decision to divest its interests in its Voke inhaler and reports that e-Voke (from here referred to collectively as Voke), the first electronic nicotine delivery (END) system to receive a medical licence, is unlikely to ‘see the light of […]
Latest articles
South Africa: the complex politics impeding tobacco control progress
Yussuf Saloojee National Council Against Smoking South Africa has long been a front runner in tobacco control in Africa. It was an early adopter of comprehensive legislation, which resulted in a 40% drop in cigarette smoking prevalence, and, in turn, between 1997 and 2010, in declines in mortality from lung and oesophageal cancer, stroke, […]
Ensuring a transparent, inclusive, civilian and scientific-oriented World Tobacco Control Conference – statement from Taiwanese delegates
Editors note: The joint statement below is from delegates from Taiwan who were excluded from the 17th World Conference on Tobacco or Health, held in Cape Town, South Africa from 7-9 March. Comment was sought from the conference secretariat; the full list of questions put to them, and their response, are at the end of […]
Austria: government chooses tobacco industry interests over citizens’ health
German version (click here) Austria achieved a dismal milestone in March 2018, when its government overturned modest (and long overdue) legislation for smoke free hospitality venues. The new laws had been due to come into force in May 2018. Among high income countries, Austria already stood as a grim example of woefully inadequate tobacco control. […]
Österreich: Regierung entscheidet für Interessen der Tabakindustrie und gegen die Gesundheit der Bürger
Rauchverbot-Volksbegehren: https://dontsmoke.at/ MedizinerInnen kontra Rauchen: Jährlich 6 Millionen Todesfälle durch Tabakkonsum, 14.000 in Österreich Österreich hat im März 2018 einen tristen Meilenstein erreicht, als seine Regierung die bescheidene (und längst überfällige) Gesetzgebung für rauchfreie Gaststätten annullierte. Das neue Gesetz sollte im Mai 2018 in Kraft treten. Unter den Ländern mit hohem Einkommen war Österreich bereits ein […]
A New Front – and a New Ally – in the Tobacco Wars
Submitted by: Human Rights and Tobacco Control Network, Action on Smoking and Health (US) and Unfairtobacco The 17th World Conference on Tobacco or Health concluded in South Africa on March 9th by adopting the Cape Town Declaration on Human Rights and a Tobacco-Free World. The Declaration, proposed by the Human Rights and Tobacco Control Network, […]
Reports, interviews and photos from #WCTOH2018 Uniting the World for a Smoke Free Generation
The 17th World Conference on Tobacco or Health was held in Cape Town, South Africa from 7-9 March 2018. It was a landmark event in tobacco control; the first time the conference has been held on the African continent – where the tobacco industry is aggressively expanding new markets – and the first to have […]
Taiwanese anti-tobacco delegates blocked from joining the 17th WCTOH due to political interference from the WHO
Update: a new statement from Taiwanese delegates and statement from the WCTOH secretariat can be viewed here Corresponding author: Wayne Gao, Taipei Medical University Editor’s note: Comment was sought from the conference secretariat but none was received. We, registered NGO delegates from Taiwan to the 17th WCTOH in Cape Town, South Africa, were blocked […]
Questions for the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World
Mike Daube The Foundation for a Smoke-Free World was announced four months ago, with a September 12th statement from the Philip Morris International company that “PMI currently expects to support the Foundation by contributing approximately USD 80 million per year, depending on the Foundation’s requirements and operations, over the next 12 years, beginning in […]
Philip Morris Smoke Free Foundation: questions about independence and transparency, while top universities distance themselves
Seventeen universities in Canada and the USA have issued a joint statement that they will not accept funding from, or pursue work with, the Philip Morris International (PMI)-funded ‘Foundation for a Smoke Free World’. The statement echoes concerns previously raised by the World Health Organization and other public health groups and leaders, stating: “If Philip […]