A series of emotional and hard-hitting television ads have been launched in the UK to tell the stories of real former smokers who have been affected by cancer. The ads detail the trauma of diagnosis, the harrowing treatments that they endured and the emotional and physical toll in their lives. Maggie, a 60 year old […]
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Big tobacco, child labour and the International Labour Organization
“The aim is to inhibit incorporation of ILO into WHO Anti-Smoking Program” So states a Philip Morris memo from December 1988, available through the Truth Tobacco Industry Documents (see page 8). Nearly 30 years on, the tobacco industry appears to be doing very well at nurturing its alliance with the International Labour Organization […]
Lithuania: FCTC breaches undermine tobacco control progress
Vaida Liutkutė Health research institute Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (Note: this is an edited version of an article published in the January 2016 edition of News Analysis). The FCTC took effect in Lithuania on 16 March 2005, making it among the earliest countries to be subject to its legal obligations. Despite this, violations of […]
A model truth
The fashion industry and cigarettes have long gone hand-in-hand, but in a refreshing and modern take on marketing tobacco control messages to young people, the US-based truth® campaign has partnered with fashion model Tyra Banks to launch the “Smoke Your Eyes, Not Cigarettes” campaign. —- The “Smoke Your Eyes, Not Cigarettes” collaboration with truth shapes […]
Philip Morris agreement with Spanish police: undermining the FCTC?
On 29 October, Philip Morris Spain signed an agreement with the Spanish police to fund equipment including underwater cameras, night vision systems, and scanners for verifying authentication and tracking of tobacco products. The agreement also includes support during inspections and seizures of counterfeit products to assess possible illegal activities regarding the entire production and distribution […]
E-cigarettes and children: advocates walking on both sides of the street?
Post written by Prof Simon Chapman AO Follow Simon on Twitter: @simonchapman6 —- In a 2014 open letter to the WHO’s director general Margaret Chan signed by 53 researchers, it was argued “Controls on [ecigarette] advertising to nonsmokers, and particularly to young people are certainly justified, but a total ban would have many negative effects, […]
Nepal: report card on progress in tobacco control
Dr Pranil Man Singh Pradhan Department of Community Health Sciences, Patan Academy of Health Sciences, Lalitpur It has been four years since the Tobacco Product Control and Regulatory Bill was passed in Nepal and significant progress […]
An Australian perspective on tobacco control in the 21st Century
Neil Francey, Barrister at Law, Whitsunday Chambers E Haydn Walters, University of Tasmania; The Alfred, Melbourne; and Royal Hobart Hospital and Adrian Reynolds, Southern Mental Health and Statewide Services Tasmanian Health Organisation; and School of Medicine, University of Tasmania The Australian experience in recent years is that tobacco control measures should be viewed according to their […]
The problem with comparing meat and smoking cancer risk
The Guardian reports: Comparing meat to tobacco, as most news organisations who’ve chosen to report this have done, makes it seem like a bacon sandwich might be just as harmful as a cigarette. This is absolutely not the case. This Cancer Research UK infographic elegantly shows that while the evidence that processed meat causes […]
Southeast Asia: new tobacco tax index
The world’s first tobacco taxation index by a civil society organisation has been published by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA). The report monitors implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Article 6 guidelines on price and tax measures. Southeast Asia is home to approximately 10% of the world’s 1 billion smokers and […]