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WHO FCTC Global Knowledge Hub on Smokeless Tobacco Calls for Strengthening Tobacco Control and Prohibiting Spitting in Public Places
April 7, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken us to better understand the importance of public health for human development and prevent the spread of diseases. Countries worldwide marshaled their resources towards addressing this global crisis in a coordinated manner. Despite the existing [...]

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Policy decision regarding vape should be well informed, say traders
April 5, 2021

19 March 2021 The Independent A total of 153 members of parliament in Bangladesh in an unprecedented letter to the prime minister last week asked for a ban on vape, also known as e-cigarette, products. A trader working in vape [...]

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Senators hit ‘ridiculous’ DOH plan to bar some industries from buying vaccines
April 5, 2021

22 March 2021Mara Cepeda, Rappler MANILA, PHILIPPINES A draft DOH order includes a provision prohibiting companies from buying COVID-19 vaccines if they make tobacco, milk, sugar, soda, and alcohol products Senators scratched their heads over a draft administrative order by [...]

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Mud-slinging continues between tobacco bodies following calls for industry investigation
April 5, 2021

15 March 2021Carin Smith, Fin24 In the wake of Ipsos-report it commissioned on the illicit cigarette trade in South Africa, British American Tobacco SA (BATSA) accuses some industry bodies of “running scared in their U-turn on baking” for an industry-wide [...]

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Anti-tobacco platform’s annual conference on Saturday
March 3, 2021

25 February 2021 UNB A platform of 31 organizations engaged in advocacy against tobacco consumption will be organizing their annual conference on Saturday, to be held for the first time at the Liberation War Museum’s permanent site in Agargaon. The [...]

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The Netherlands wants to get rid of super tobacco sales quickly | Politics
February 17, 2021

1 February 2021 Christopher Cloutier, Netherland News wire Two thirds of the Dutch support the government plan to ban cigarette sales from the supermarket, according to new research commissioned by the Heart Foundation, KWF Kankerbestrijd and the Lung Fund. Preferably [...]

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2 Pangasinan towns get tobacco curing barns
February 17, 2021

29 January 2021 Ahikam Pasion, Philippines News Agency DAGUPAN CITY – The Pangasinan provincial government has turned over two tobacco curing barns to San Manuel and Balungao towns that were funded from the tobacco excise tax in 2016. In an interview [...]

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S. Korea seeks to extend healthy life expectancy with higher tobacco, liquor prices
February 17, 2021

28 January 2021 Jung Ji-sung and Cho Jeehyun, Pulse South Korean government has vowed to extend the country’s healthy life expectancy to 73.3 years by 2023 by bringing down smoking rate and alcohol consumption with higher price tags. The Ministry [...]

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Kazakh Parliament ratifies free trade agreement between EAEU, Serbia
February 17, 2021

28 January 2021 Nargiz Sadikhova, Trend News Agency Senate (upper house) of Kazakhstan’s Parliament has ratified the law draft on ratification of the free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and its member states, and Serbia, Trend reports [...]

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Northeast Receives Mixed Reviews In Lung Association’s ‘State Of Tobacco Control’
February 17, 2021

27 January 2021 Jesse King, WAMC Northeast Public Radio The Northeast garnered mixed reviews in the American Lung Association’s annual “State of Tobacco Control” report out Wednesday.  The 19th edition of the report grades all 50 states on their tobacco [...]

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Saint Lucia: Restrictions on Use of Tobacco Products in Public Places Adopted
February 17, 2021

29 January 2021 Library of Congress (Jan. 29, 2021) On June 2, 2020, Saint Lucia Minister of Health Mary Isaac issued the Public Health (Smoking Control) Regulations, 2020. The regulations were issued on the basis of the minister’s authority in accordance [...]

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Greece’s Tax Chief, Cigarette Company Team Against Tobacco Smuggling
February 16, 2021

2 February 2021 The National Herald     [...]

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Strengthening Tobacco Control Laws for an India After COVID-19
February 16, 2021

1 February 2021 The Wire Earlier last month, India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare placed in the public domain the ‘Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) (Amendment) Bill [...]

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What happens when Big Tobacco’s pandemic donations tangle with Philippine politicians drafting new laws?
February 16, 2021

2021 Lina Sagaral Reyes, Eco-Business The Philippines’ biggest tobacco company channeled its Covid-19 aid through several lawmakers in Congress who proposed industry-friendly rules for novel tobacco products in the country, checks by Eco-Business have found. The industry-friendly bill proposed by [...]

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Alcohol and Tobacco Regulation in the State Changes Hands ― With Many Political Overtones
February 16, 2021

30 January 2021 Maryland Matters A bitter, years-long political dispute ended quietly over Zoom on Friday, in a short meeting full of procedural jargon and bureaucratic niceties. With that, the regulation of alcohol and tobacco in the state of Maryland [...]

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PHILIP MORRIS-FUNDED FOUNDATION FOR A SMOKE-FREE WORLD
February 16, 2021

27 January 2021 Tobacco Free Kids Philip Morris International – the huge multinational tobacco company – announced in September 2017 that it had established the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World – with funding of $80 million per year for 12 [...]

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PMI Partners with U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Combatting Illicit Trade
February 16, 2021

Philip Morris International NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Jan. 29, 2021– Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) (NYSE: PM) today signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to assist and support Homeland [...]

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Myanmar: Ministry of Health and Sports guidelines on interactions with the tobacco industry
January 29, 2021

WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Secretariat The Ministry of Health and Sports of the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar adopted, on 17 August 2020, Directive 91/2020 which contains guidance on interactions with “cigar and tobacco [...]

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Tobacco Industry Exploiting COVID-19 Pandemic To Gain Foothold In Government
December 15, 2020

November 20, 2020 Author: Raisa Santos Health Policy Watch The tobacco industry has been exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting health sector resource shortages to gain a stronger foothold in the policy corridors of many national governments – making huge [...]

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PAHO laments the death of former Uruguayan president who fought the tobacco industry
December 8, 2020

December 6, 2020 Author: Pan American Health Organization Dr. Tabaré Vazquez was named an Americas Public Health Hero Washington, DC, December 6, 2020 (PAHO) – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) marks with great sadness the passing of former Uruguayan President Tabaré Vázquez, [...]

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Summary results of the global youth tobacco survey in selected countries of the WHO European Region (2020)
December 8, 2020

December 2020 Author: World Health Organization Download English (PDF, 3.08 MB) The Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) is one of the globally standardized surveys of the Global Tobacco Surveillance System. The GYTS is a school-based survey that collects data on tobacco [...]

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New WHO report reveals that while smoking continues to decline among European adolescents, the use of electronic cigarettes by young people is on the rise
December 8, 2020

December 2, 2020 Author: World Health Organization Tobacco use among young people in the WHO European Region remains a public health concern. Despite the overall downward trend, several countries of the Region observed an increase in tobacco use prevalence among [...]

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Kids Are Big Tobacco’s “Replacement” Customers
December 3, 2020

3 December, 2020 Author: Tobacco Free CA While the tobacco industry claims they no longer target kids, they still use tactics to attract kids to use their products. They use enticing flavors, colorful packaging, and names and logos similar to [...]

5.3/ TII ENDS News

New WHO report reveals that while smoking continues to decline among European adolescents, the use of electronic cigarettes by young people is on the rise
December 2, 2020

2 December, 2020 Author: World Health Organization Europe Tobacco use among young people in the WHO European Region remains a public health concern. Despite the overall downward trend, several countries of the Region observed an increase in tobacco use prevalence [...]

Press Releases Tobacco Industry Interference

New Global Index Shows Aggressive Tobacco Industry Lobbying in 2019 and Exploitation of COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020
November 25, 2020

Data from 57 Countries Reveal Governments Aren’t Doing Enough to Protect Policy From Industry Influence BANGKOK and NEW YORK (November 17, 2020) – New research citing evidence collected by civil society groups in 57 countries reveals that, during 2019, the tobacco industry [...]

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Report calls out tobacco industry for interference
November 17, 2020

August 17, 2020 Authors: Jeckonia OtienoStandard Media A new report accuses the tobacco industry of perpetual meddling in tobacco control efforts. The report by Consumer Information Network (CIN) lists seven ways in which it accuses the industry of interference. Among [...]

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179 Organizations Worldwide Call on Google to Ban Apps that Encourage Smoking and Vaping from Google Play Store
November 17, 2020

October 28, 2020 Tobacco Free Kids WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids today along with 179 organizations from 62 countries called on Google to adopt a new policy prohibiting applications that encourage the purchase or consumption of smoking [...]

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Side event: “UN Inter-Agency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases: working with Member States to deliver the NCD-related Sustainable Development Goal targets during and beyond COVID-19”
November 17, 2020

September 24, 2020 WHO FCTC On the occasion of the opening week of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly Speech of Dr Adriana Blanco Marquizo, Head of the Convention Secretariat24 September 2020 Good morning, good afternoon and good [...]

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WHO FCTC head calls for multisectoral action on NCD-related SDGs through tobacco control
November 17, 2020

October 7, 2020 WHO FCTC During a week of high-level meetings at the General Assembly of the United Nations, the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) co-sponsored a virtual side event on 24 September 2020 [...]

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The Global Strategy to Accelerate Tobacco Control 2019-2025: focusing and intensifying efforts to implement the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control
November 17, 2020

November 11, 2020 WHO FCTC This week would have been the week of the Ninth Conference of the Parties (COP9) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) with the global tobacco control community gathering in The Hague, [...]

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Letter to Google to immediately remove and adopt a policy to prohibit applications that encourage purchase or consumption of smoking and vaping products in the Google Play store.
November 17, 2020

October 28, 2020 Authors: Mr Pichai CEOTobacco Free Kids We represent tobacco control, public health, corporate accountability, and consumer protection organizations fighting to reduce tobacco use and its deadly toll around the world. We are writing today to urge Google [...]

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Questions raised over speech by vaccine taskforce chair to investors
November 17, 2020

November 2, 2020 Express Standard MPs have called for explanations after it emerged that the head of the Government’s vaccine taskforce might have revealed potentially sensitive information to conference attendees last week. Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, asked why Kate [...]

COVID-19 NEWS News

Advancing in tobacco control amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
November 17, 2020

September 18, 2020 WHO FCTC Despite the difficult circumstances the world is currently facing, tobacco control initiatives continue to advance. Parties to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) and to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit [...]

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Legal loophole allows children to get free vape samples
November 17, 2020

October 25, 2020 The Guardian UK health experts fear sharp rise in popularity of e-cigarettes among teenagers, as seen in the US Health campaigners have expressed alarm after it emerged that a loophole in the law means it is legal for [...]

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Ghana gets 58 in tobacco index report
November 17, 2020

October 22, 2020 Authors: Jamila Akweley OkertchiriDaily Guide Net A new report on the extent to which the tobacco industry influences government’s tobacco control policies has scored Ghana 58 points for the implementation of tobacco control measures. According to the first [...]

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WHO: Tobacco responsible for 20% of deaths from coronary heart disease
November 17, 2020

October 25, 2020 Mindanao Daily GENEVA–Every year, 1.9 million people die from tobacco-induced heart disease, according to a new brief released today by the World Health Organization, World Heart Federation and the University of Newcastle Australia ahead of World Heart [...]

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Will Pakistan’s tobacco traceability odyssey finally come to an end?
November 17, 2020

October 23, 2020 QRIUS In the light of extensive links between Big Tobacco and legislative processes, there’s little reason to wonder why the government’s previous attempts to install a tracking system have been so notoriously opaque and dysfunctional Pakistan is [...]

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2021 Budget should increase taxes on tobacco, alcoholic beverages-VALD
November 17, 2020

October 21, 2020 My Joy Online The Vision for Alternative Development (VALD), a non-governmental organisation has launched a 2020 Tobacco Industry Interferences Index Report-Ghana with a call on government to announce in its 2021 budget tax increases on tobacco, alcoholic [...]

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Opinion: Tobacco — a slow-motion pandemic hindering achievement of the SDGs
November 17, 2020

November 5, 2020 Authors: Adriana Blanco Marquizo devex In an ideal world — more mindful of the value of life than of profit —  tobacco would never have been a legal product. Tobacco kills more than 8 million people globally every year; around 1.2 [...]

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The world loses about $ 1 trillion a year from smoking
November 17, 2020

November 4, 2020 Vinanet According to research by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US National Cancer Institute, smoking costs the world economy about 1,000 billion USD each year. In addition, smoking each year causes about 7-8 million deaths, and [...]

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PCI Pulls up Leading Media House for Indirect Tobacco Promotion at Youth Event
November 17, 2020

Octobr 29, 2020 Authors: S. K. AroraThe Leaflet he indirect advertisement of tobacco products is not only a grave violation of law but also socially irresponsible of big media houses. DR. S K ARORA, Additional Director of Health in Government of [...]

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‘Be careful’: Press Council of India pulls up Times of India for advertising tobacco and paan masala
November 17, 2020

November 3, 2020 Authors: Anna PriyadarshiniNewslaundry The warning is the culmination of a three-year feud between the newspaper and Delhi’s Directorate General of Health Services. Last month, the Press Council of India told the Times of India that the newspaper needs to [...]

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Nick Hopkinson: Tobacco industry collaborators sending equality up in smoke
November 17, 2020

November 13, 2020 British Medical Journal It is widely believed that the American humourist and mathematician Tom Lehrer abandoned comedy because Henry Kissinger was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for bombing Cambodia. A bold new entry into the beyond-satire stakes [...]

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Time to increase tax on tobacco companies
November 17, 2020

October 29, 2020 Straits Times LETTERS: A tobacco company sponsored black bus that has been driving around the streets of Kuala Lumpur recently, must be stopped. Surely promoting a tobacco company’s message is a violation of the law banning all [...]

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E-Cigarette Posts on Instagram Struck Down by U.K. Watchdog
November 10, 2020

Author: Geneva AbdulThe New York Times Dec 18, 2019 Four companies marketing e-cigarettes broke rules barring online promotions, a British advertising regulator said. The singer Lily Allen, advertising for Vype, a vaping unit of British American Tobacco.Credit…Instagram The Instagram posts [...]

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British American Tobacco Company Workers Accuses Management Of Exposing Them To COVID-19
August 15, 2020

Workers with the British American Tobacco Company Nigeria have accused its management of insensitivity-despite orders by the Federal and State Government, for private companies to reduce its work force by more than 70 percent to contain the spread of Coronavirus, [...]

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Vaping Could Compound Health Risks Tied to Virus, FDA Says
August 14, 2020

March 28, 2020 Vaping may leave users with underlying health conditions at higher risk of serious complications if they contract the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, the Food and Drug Administration said. Read more: Bloomberg [...]

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Government vows to protect health policy from Big Tobacco after Bureau investigation
August 14, 2020

March 6, 2020 The government has pledged to defend public health policy from tobacco companies lobbying for relaxed regulations after Brexit. Last night the health minister Jo Churchill reiterated the government’s commitment to a landmark treaty that restricts contact with [...]

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Ireland bans menthol cigarettes and rolling tobacco starting May 20
August 14, 2020

March 15, 2020 In Ireland, menthol cigarettes and rolling tobacco, along with irregularly shaped packs such as skinny cigarettes will be banned from May 20. Also included in the ban are click dual cigarettes that change from normal to menthol. [...]

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Tobacco giants fume over claims they exploited COVID-19 with Romania, Greece & Ukraine donations
August 6, 2020

August 6, 2020 Two tobacco titans have hit back at allegations they are using the COVID-19 health crisis to improve their public image and win access to politicians. Philip Morris International subsidiary, Papastratos, gave 50 respirators to Greek hospitals to [...]

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WHO warns of possible pressure from the tobacco industry to benefit from a bill to combat smuggling
July 27, 2020

July 27, 2020 The head of the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention (World Health Organization) for Tobacco Control (FCTC), Adriana Blanco, warned the Legislative Commission of Justice of alleged pressures from the tobacco industry to obtain compensation and eliminate [...]

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WHO Statement on Heated Tobacco Products and the US FDA Decision Regarding IQOS
July 27, 2020

July 27, 2020 WHO takes this opportunity to remind Member States that are Parties to the WHO Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (FCTC) of their obligations under the Convention. Heated tobacco products are tobacco products, meaning that the WHO FCTC [...]

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How tobacco-funded group try to influence tobacco control policy in Costa Rica – Report
July 18, 2020

July 18, 2020 A Philip Morris-funded group has been attempting to interfere in the design of public policies in Costa Rica and other countries by opposing legislation that seeks to regulate cigarette smuggling, a report by AdiarioCR has shown. The [...]

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Tobacco industry lobbies Bangladesh Government Agency to champion its business during COVID-19 pandemic
July 3, 2020

July 3, 2020 Bangladesh has seen an unprecedented level of tobacco industry interference during the COVID-19 crisis. The tobacco industry in Bangladesh, dominated by two transnational tobacco companies, British American Tobacco Bangladesh (BATB) and Japan Tobacco International (JTI), has exploited [...]

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Commission remains vulnerable to Big Tobacco’s siren song, report says
July 2, 2020

July 2, 2020 The European Commission is unprepared for an impending lobbying blitz by the tobacco industry, according to a report released Thursday by watchdog Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO). According to the NGO, the industry is gearing up for a fight ahead [...]

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Jordan bans smoking and vaping in indoor public spaces
July 2, 2020

July 2, 2020 The Jordanian government has banned smoking and vaping in all indoor public spaces a week after a Guardian investigation revealed tobacco use in the country had become the highest in the world. The country’s health ministry said on [...]

Letter News News Articles

Dear EC Vice-President Jourová, please protect EU policy and law-making from vested tobacco industry interests
July 2, 2020

July 2, 2020 We are writing to you on behalf of civil society, public health and tobacco control groups to voice our concerns about the European Commission’s continued failure to effectively implement Article 5.3 of the 2005 World Health Organization [...]

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Smoke and Mirrors: Weak EU Transparency Rules Allow Tobacco Industry Lobbyists to Dodge Scrutiny
July 2, 2020

July 2, 2020 Given the upcoming revision of the Tobacco Products Directive, it is high time that the EU meets its obligations to ensure that lobbying by the tobacco industry to influence public officials faces tighter scrutiny and pro-active transparency. [...]

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PHL-Thailand cigarette dispute still unresolved before WTO
July 1, 2020

July 1, 2020 The lack of seating judges in the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Appellate Body is hampering the Philippines’s bid to retaliate against Thailand for its noncompliance with the ruling on their cigarette dispute. Read more: Business Mirror [...]

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COVID-19 and Big Tobacco PR machine
June 28, 2020

June 28, 2020 After the initial hype about developing vaccines to tackle coronavirus (COVID-19), which received instant backlash from public health experts, the tobacco industry has been largely silent on that subject. Read more: The Niche [...]

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COVID-19 and beyond: banning tobacco and e-cigarettes in public places is a public health must
June 16, 2020

There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke Following the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world, 15 countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region took a bold decision to ban waterpipe use temporarily in public places. This [...]

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GGTC applauds WTO’s reaffirmation of Australia’s plain packaging
June 12, 2020

Bangkok – On Tuesday, June 9, the World Trade Organization (WTO) reaffirmed Australia’s plain packaging laws which require the tobacco industry to use generic text in drab plain cigarette packs with large graphic warnings. WTO’s Appellate Body rejected arguments that [...]

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World No Tobacco Day: Exposing Tobacco Tactics to Save the Next Generation
June 12, 2020

Bangkok –On May 31, in celebration of World No Tobacco Day (WNTD), Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC) is unveiling visual expressions of protest against the tobacco industry’s ploys to manipulate the youth. In line with the [...]

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Philip Morris makes profit on cigarettes smuggled to Ecuador and now seeks government compensation for these same cigarettes
June 9, 2020

June 9, 2020 Protecting citizens’ health from the lethal effects of tobacco smoking has been one of the government’s clear priorities in Ecuador. In recent years, the country implemented strict smoke-free policies, mandated large pictorial health warnings on cigarette packs, and [...]

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BAT Slammed for ‘Tattling’ on JTI Menthol Substitutes
June 8, 2020

June 8, 2020 Bob Blackman, chairman of the U.K. All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health, has criticized British American Tobacco (BAT) for leaking information about products made by Japan Tobacco International (JTI) following the ban on menthol cigarettes [...]

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Anti-tobacco campaigners challenge industry figures
June 7, 2020

June 7, 2020 The government of Pakistan is announcing its budget for the next fiscal year within days and no doubt these are one of the toughest times for this exercise. The spread of the new coronovirus has posed tough [...]

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Tobacco Firms Accused of ‘Undermining’ EU Menthol Ban
June 3, 2020

June 3, 2020 Ireland’s minister of health, Simon Harris, has urged the EU to crack down on tobacco industry actions that he believes are “undermining” the recently enacted ban on menthol cigarettes. Across the EU, tobacco companies have been introducing products [...]

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Minister calls on EU to act against tobacco firms ‘undermining’ menthol ban in Ireland
May 30, 2020

May 30, 2020 Simon Harris, the Minister for Health, has called for European Union intervention against certain tobacco companies that he believes are “undermining” a ban on menthol-flavoured cigarettes that was introduced in Ireland this month as a measure to prevent young [...]

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Study finds that plain packaging really boosted tobacco consumption in Australia
May 30, 2020

May 30, 2020 In December 2012, Australia turned the primary nation to introduce laws for the plain packaging of tobacco merchandise as a part of its bid to return into line with many European nations in the case of strictly [...]

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Subtle Tobacco Industry Advertising Tactics Hook Adolescents, Say WHO Experts
May 29, 2020

May 29, 2020 In light of millions of smokers attempting to quit the vice during the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry has employed ‘very mean’, ‘very subtle’ and ‘very targeted’ tactics to hook young populations to “deadly’ tobacco products, according to WHO experts.  [...]

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PAHO urges young people to help expose and resist tobacco industry deception
May 28, 2020

May 28, 2020 Makers of tobacco and related products spend some $9 billion annually on marketing to recruit new customers to replace those lost to tobacco-related deaths Washington, D.C., 28 May 2020 (PAHO/WHO) – On this year’s World No Tobacco Day, [...]

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Making a Mint Tobacco firm accused of getting around menthol cigarette ban after launching ‘new mint-flavoured blend’ under same name
May 26, 2020

May 26, 2020 A TOBACCO firm has been accused of dodging the menthol cigarette ban after it launched a “new blend” under the same name. Japan Tobacco International (JTI) has created a new range of products that charities claim still [...]

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WHO recommends that e-cigarettes should be banned
May 25, 2020

May 25, 2020 Information from Mr. Nguyen Tuan Lam – Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Vietnam – said that WHO recommends the best countries to ban the circulation of e-cigarettes and new-type cigarettes, if for Permits need [...]

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When reports attack Big Tobacco it pays to follow the money
May 25, 2020

May 25, 2020 Sad to see the Telegraph furrowing the same path as the Guardian when it comes to the tobacco industry. According to a report today: The tobacco giant Philip Morris has taken advantage of the UK’s ban on [...]

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Health Ministry for halting production, sale of tobacco products
May 20, 2020

May 20, 2020 The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Tuesday urged the authorities concerned to suspend production, supply, marketing, and sale of all kinds of tobacco products in Bangladesh to help fight against coronavirus. Read more: The Independent [...]

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Covid-19 crisis sparks new call in Scotland for tobacco levy
May 17, 2020

May 3, 2020 Scotland’s leading anti-smoking charity is backing calls for a minimum unit price (MUP) on tobacco after scientists said “now is the time” to tackle the largest preventable cause of chronic disease. Read more: The Sunday Times [...]

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Suggestion that smoking protects from COVID-19 may be dangerous to public health
May 17, 2020

May 11, 2020 A new pandemic generates anxiety and confusion and drives people to seek remedies that may have little scientific evidence of efficacy. Based upon a flawed interpretation of preliminary COVID-19 data, the hypothesis that cigarette smoking protects one from [...]

News News Articles Tobacco Industry Ploys

WHO Slams Tobacco-Against-COVID Study
May 14, 2020

May 14, 2020 The World Health Organisation is warning against claims that tobacco or nicotine consumption might reduce the dangers of the novel coronavirus, following controversial studies that anti-tobacco advocates say were financed by the industry.  Read more: OCCRP [...]

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Pakistan Court Scraps Tobacco “Track and Trace” Contract
May 13, 2020

May 13, 2020 A Pakistani court cancelled a multi-million-dollar contract for the implementation of a tobacco track and trace system after two bidders complained that the winner was granted preferential treatment. Read more: OCCRP [...]

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WHO statement: Tobacco use and COVID-19
May 11, 2020

May 11, 2020 Tobacco kills more than 8 million people globally every year. More than 7 million of these deaths are from direct tobacco use and around 1.2 million are due to non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke. Read more: [...]

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COVID-19: For the tobacco industry, it’s all about profit
May 11, 2020

May 11, 2020 In times of crisis some corporations profit while others break. For the tobacco industry the COVID-19 pandemic which has shut down many nations and crippled the global economy seems “a make or break opportunity”. Read more: EnviroNews [...]

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The two faces of the tobacco industry during the COVID-19 pandemic
May 10, 2020

May 10, 2020 Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020, the world’s major tobacco companies have geared their CSR efforts to present themselves as allies of public health in the fight against the [...]

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Tobacco industry targeting vulnerable communities in times of Covid-19 pandemic
May 7, 2020

May 7, 2020 Tobacco industry is actively involved in promoting and spreading false information through researches the benefits of nicotine patches that is a product of tobacco and smoking as a weapon that protects from COVID-19. Read more: Pakistan Observer [...]

COVID-19 COVID-19 NEWS News News Articles

Q&A on smoking and COVID-19
May 7, 2020

May 7, 2020 Are smokers and tobacco users at higher risk of COVID-19 infection? Smokers are likely to be more vulnerable to COVID-19 as the act of smoking means that fingers (and possibly contaminated cigarettes) are in contact with lips [...]

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GGTC to UN: Fight tobacco industry “misinfodemic”
May 5, 2020

May 5, 2020 The Global Center for Good Governance supports the call to the United Nations (UN) to include the tobacco industry misinformation in the efforts to battle the COVID-19 “misinfodemic.” The call is embodied in a letter dated April [...]

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False Friends: tobacco industry during Corona crisis
May 4, 2020

In the Coronavirus pandemic, the tobacco industry presents itself as the saviour in the crisis. A transparent diversionary tactic, since it has been fighting the public good for decades and ruining the health of countless people. Read more: Unfairtobacco [...]

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South Africa: U.S.$1,500 ‘Bribe’ Offered As More Cigarettes Seized During COVID-19 Lockdown
May 3, 2020

May 3, 2020 Three people have been arrested in Lenasia, Johannesburg, in spite of allegedly offering a whopping R30 000 to get out of being caught selling cigarettes during the coronavirus lockdown. Read more: allAfrica [...]

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BAT threatens Dlamini-Zuma with lawsuit over tobacco ban
May 1, 2020

May 1, 2020 British American Tobacco South Africa has demanded that Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma amend regulations prohibiting the sale of tobacco products by Monday. Read more: Chronicle [...]

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Sampoerna factory closes after two COVID-19 deaths, authorities race to trace contacts
April 30, 2020

April 30, 2020 Tobacco giant HM Sampoerna’s factory in Rungkut district of Surabaya, East Java, has temporarily shut down following reports that two of its workers had died of COVID-19 and dozens of other workers had tested positive for the virus that causes [...]

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NCTC, health groups urge Jokowi to ban smoking in COVID-19 ‘high-risk areas’
April 29, 2020

April 29, 2020 The National Commission on Tobacco Control (NCTC) has urged President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to enhance COVID-19 mitigation efforts by banning tobacco cigarettes and electronic cigarettes, especially in “high-risk areas”. Read more: The Jakarta Post [...]

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How bad is Juuling for the environment?
April 29, 2020

April 29, 2020 As a long-term smoker who has tried unsuccessfully to quit cold turkey, one of my biggest victories came in early 2019 when I picked up a Juul for the first time. It was love at first pull [...]

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From a potential vaccine to millionaire donations: The active role of tobacco companies in times of coronavirus
April 27, 2020

April 27, 2020 Philip Morris International committed more than US $ 24 million to support actions against the pandemic, financing NGOs. A British American Tobacco subsidiary, meanwhile, is in the clinical testing stage of a possible vaccine. Read more: LATERCERA [...]

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Imperial Brands PLC agrees sale of Worldwide Premium Cigar Business for €1,225 million with proceeds to be used to reduce debt
April 27, 2020

April 27, 2020 Imperial Brands PLC (“Imperial”) is pleased to announce it has agreed the sale of its worldwide premium cigar businesses (“Premium Cigars”) to investment consortia of individual investors in two distinct transactions for a total consideration of €1,225 [...]

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FTC Looks to Unwind Altria’s $12.8 Billion JUUL Investment
April 21, 2020

April 21, 2020 Altria (NYSE: MO) faces the prospect of unwinding its $12.8 billion investment in leading electronic cigarette manufacturer JUUL Labs if the Federal Trade Commission successfully advances its case against the tobacco giant. Read more: Nasdaq [...]

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FTC Looks to Unwind Altria’s $12.8 Billion JUUL Investment
April 21, 2020

April 21, 2020 Altria (NYSE: MO) faces the prospect of unwinding its $12.8 billion investment in leading electronic cigarette manufacturer JUUL Labs if the Federal Trade Commission successfully advances its case against the tobacco giant. Read more: Nasdaq [...]

COVID-19 COVID-19 NEWS News News Articles

Coronavirus and tobacco industry duplicity
April 20, 2020

April 20, 2020 Lately, tobacco corporations have been getting special mention in the news just like they have always wanted. They crave the publicity. From donations to governments, unverified claims of new vaccines and proposals for partnerships, among others, one [...]

COVID-19 COVID-19 NEWS News News Articles

Will Indonesia mitigate COVID-19 by enforcing stronger tobacco control
April 20, 2020

April 20, 2020 President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, has been sent an appeal to urgently strengthen the response to corona virus disease in the country, by stronger enforcement of comprehensive and evidence-based tobacco control measures, which includes immediate ratification of the global [...]

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Strengthen Youth Tobacco Control, Qi County Procuratorate Initiates Public Interest Litigation Procedure
April 17, 2020

April 17, 2020 On April 16, the Provincial People’s Procuratorate released information to the public. In response to the phenomenon that individual supermarkets and convenience stores in the jurisdiction may sell tobacco products to minors and did not post a [...]

COVID-19 COVID-19 NEWS News News Articles

Petition to the COVID-19 National Task-force: Government has a Duty to Protect Public Health Laws and Policies from Commercial and Other Vested Interests of the Tobacco Industry
April 15, 2020

April 15, 2020 Government has a duty to protect public health laws and policies from commercial and other vested interests of the Tobacco industry We, the Uganda National Health Users’/Consumers’ Organization call upon the COVID-19 National Task-force to look into [...]

Litigation News News Articles

Montana files lawsuit against big tobacco over payments from 1998 settlement
April 13, 2020

April 13, 2020 Attorney General Tim Fox announced Monday his office filed suit in Lewis and Clark County 1st District Court against big tobacco for $43 million owed to Montana under the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement. Read more: KTVH [...]