Indicators of tobacco industry interference
Publication date: 2019
The tobacco industry repeats the same tactics in multiple jurisdictions to interfere with tobacco control. Indicators of the extent of tobacco industry interference include: pro-industry elements in tobacco control policy; government behaviour toward the tobacco industry; and actions of government officials in international meetings.
Selling addiction: tobacco industry transition to new products
Publication date: 2019
To dominate the market for e-cigarettes and novel tobacco products, the tobacco industry is re-using tactics that successfully targeted youth and misinformed the public about product safety in the past. While the industry aggressively promotes its new products under the guise of offering solutions, some of the hard-fought, life-saving tobacco control measures currently in place are being undermined.
Tobacco industry: decades of deception and duplicity
Publication date: 2019
Tobacco companies “have marketed and sold their lethal product with zeal, with deception, with a single-minded focus on their financial success, and without regard for the human tragedy or social costs that success exacted” – Judge Gladys Kessler, United States District Court, 2006.
Tobacco industry tactics
Publication date: 2019
Whether selling its new products or traditional cigarettes, the tobacco industry uses the same tactics to create barriers to lifesaving tobacco control measures. Research – the industry works to discredit proven science by sponsoring and promoting research. Law – the industry uses lawyers and front groups to aggressively lobby for pro-industry measures, influence the political and legislative process, and intimidate governments with the threat of litigation. Public relations – the industry promotes misinformation, either directly or through front groups, to exaggerate the economic importance of the industry and its positive role in society.
Tobacco industry tactics: tax policies
Publication date: 2019
Tobacco industry interference has been particularly strong against efforts to increase tobacco taxes. The industry aims to ensure that tobacco products remain affordable, while protecting their own profits – at the expense of public health. Tobacco companies target governments and finance ministries with “studies” claiming exaggerated and inaccurate economic impacts from higher taxes. Tobacco transnationals also use illicit trade as a key argument against tax increases, despite their own complicity in smuggling.
Tobacco industry tactics: packaging and labelling
Publication date: 2019
Tobacco packs are key to marketing and advertising. The tobacco industry challenges large, graphic warnings and pack size/colour restrictions using intellectual property and “slippery slope” arguments. Through litigation, or threat of litigation, the industry seeks to delay implementation of packaging and labelling restrictions. Donations, political contributions and so-called corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities can result in pro-industry arguments gaining political support.
Tobacco industry tactics: advertising, promotion and sponsorship
Publication date: 2019
The tobacco industry’s key strategy to challenge anti-tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS) policy is arguing against comprehensive bans. This aims to ensure sufficient loopholes to allow continued marketing of tobacco products through points of sale, targeted promotions and sponsorship. The tobacco industry uses corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities to access policy-makers, and utilizes its advertising budget to entice the entertainment and media sector to support voluntary codes or self-regulation.
Tobacco industry tactics: smoke-free environments
Publication date: 2019
The tobacco industry uses “accommodation policies”, such as designated smoking areas, to promote the “social acceptability” of smoking and encourage smoking or smoking initiation. Transnational tobacco companies mobilize the hospitality industry, downplay the dangers of tobacco smoke and provide donations, political contributions and funds for so-called corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities that can influence policy-makers and enforcers.
Factsheets on activities of tobacco industry in countries
Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC is an overarching obligation requiring that, in setting and implementing public health policies with respect to tobacco control, governments act to protect these policies from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry in accordance with national law.
Afghanistan Tobacco industry profile
Bahrain Tobacco industry profile
Djibouti Tobacco industry profile
Egypt Tobacco industry profile
Islamic Republic of Iran Tobacco industry profile
Jordan Tobacco industry profile
Lebanon Tobacco industry profile
The status of the illicit tobacco trade in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
Publication date: 2015
This fact sheet shows how measuring illicit cigarette trade is methodologically challenging for many reasons. Such trade is an illegal activity and illegal traders are unlikely to record their activities. For security reasons, data on illicit trade are usually difficult to collect. Transnational organized crime markets are global in scale; therefore strategies to address them should also be global. The only real option for international cooperation is the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and its Protocol to combat the illicit trade in tobacco products.
Fact sheet on illicit tobacco trade: Facts and figures on the illicit tobacco trade
Publication date: 2015
This fact sheet shows how tobacco is an attractive product to smugglers because the tax on tobacco is a high proportion of price, thus evading tax by diverting tobacco products onto the illicit market (where sales are largely tax-free) creates a considerable profit margin for smugglers. This fact sheet shows that by eliminating or reducing this illicit trade would reduce consumption by increasing price, reducing premature deaths and increasing tax revenue for governments.
Fact sheet on illicit tobacco trade: The tobacco industry's role
Publication date: 2015
This fact sheet shows the evidence of the direct and indirect involvement of the tobacco industry in cigarette smuggling. This fact sheet states that evidence of complicity of the tobacco industry in cigarette smuggling extends to Lebanon and the Middle East, where the illicit tobacco trade has benefited from weak governance. Generally, this fact sheet illustrates how tobacco companies will take any opportunity to ensure that their product is in the market, smuggled or legitimate.
Fact sheet on illicit tobacco trade: Immediate action in 10 steps
Publication date: 2015
This fact sheet covers the 10 different steps that are suggested in order to combat the illicit trade and smuggling of tobacco. It states 10 comprehensive steps that should be taken in order to ensure that the problem of illicit tobacco trade can be effectively combated. These steps range from: convening a working group with officials, electing a char for this group, adopting a timetable with intermediate steps, gathering information, collecting data, commissioning a study on the issue as a whole, and reporting the findings.
Fact sheet on illicit tobacco trade: Taxation and illicit trade
Publication date: 2015
This fact sheet shows that the tobacco industry has claimed that high taxes drive smuggling and has sometimes argued successfully to governments that they should not increase tobacco tax because this will increase the level of smuggling. However, it states that although a high tax margin may provide the initial incentive to smuggle, data shows that that is not the only factor. Overall, this fact sheet illustrates the relationship between legal price and illicit trade in 2007 in low, middle and high income countries.
Fact sheet on illicit tobacco trade: The Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products
Publication date: 2015
This fact sheet shows how the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products is being negotiated as a supplementary treaty to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). This treaty is currently open for ratification, acceptance, approval or accession by the Parties to the WHO FCTC. The Protocol was adopted on 12 November 2012 and signed by 53 States and the European Union. The objective of the Protocol is to eliminate all forms of illicit trade in tobacco products.
Fact sheet on illicit tobacco trade: Best practices around the world
Publication date: 2015
This fact sheet based on data from Brazil and the United Kingdom show that policies against illicit trade can reduce illicit manufacturing or the illicit cigarette market. It also shows that some countries have successfully reduced illicit trade in tobacco products though strong and coordinated multilateral efforts. Generally, the article discusses the different means Brazil and the United Kingdom have taken in order to tackle the illicit cigarette market and manufacturing, as well as analyses the results.
Tobacco industry tactics and plans to undermine tobacco control efforts
Publication date: 2012
This document aims to expose the varied attempts used by tobacco companies to undermine the work of international organizations and governments in reducing the increase in tobacco use, an epidemic deadlier than history’s most destructive wars. Attention is not only being drawn to their attempts but also to the efforts and innovative initiatives being used to counter their tactics and pursue the goal of a healthy, smoke-free world.
Tobacco industry activities in Pakistan: 1992–2002
Publication date: 2010
Transnational tobacco companies have had a presence in Pakistan for over 50 years. This report describes the activities of transnational tobacco companies in Pakistan from 1992 to 2002 in five key areas: (a) the economics of tobacco; (b) smuggling of cigarettes into Pakistan; (c) the influence of the tobacco industry on science; (d) sports sponsorship by the tobacco industry; and (e) the effect of tobacco industry activities on health equity.
Status of the illicit tobacco trade in the Eastern Mediterranean Region
Publication date: 2010
This fact sheet discusses: the types of illicit tobacco trade; the global size of the problem; its impact on public health; illicit tobacco trade estimates in the Eastern Mediterranean Region; industry complicity in smuggling; and key interventions to curb illicit trade in tobacco. Experience in European countries over the last 10 years has shown that large-scale cigarette smuggling can be tackled. Controlling the supply chain should be one of the key interventions to curb international illicit trade in tobacco.
Arabic English
Review of tobacco industry activities in the Eastern Mediterranean Region: An introduction
Publication date: 2008
This report reveals the tobacco industry’s vigorous targeting of the Middle East in an effort to increase its market share. The picture that emerges from the tobacco industry documents shows a powerful and influential industry operating with might in the Middle East, where public awareness of health-related issues is often low. “Review of tobacco industry activities in the Eastern Mediterranean Region” is a series of reports on the tactics and plans of the tobacco industry to undermine tobacco control efforts in the Region.
The tobacco industry's tactics and plans to undermine control efforts in Egypt and North Africa
Publication date: 2008
This report reveals the industry’s direct and indirect methods to undermine tobacco control in markets unbound by strict anti-smoking legislation, and where the states themselves are mega producers of tobacco, and own national tobacco companies. Egypt and North Africa remains an attractive region for international tobacco companies. “Review of tobacco industry activities in the Eastern Mediterranean Region” is a series of reports on the tactics and plans of the tobacco industry to undermine tobacco control efforts in the Region.
The cigarette "transit" road to the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iraq: Illicit tobacco trade in the Middle East
Publication date: 2008
This report reveals the many facets of tobacco smuggling in the Middle East and the contradicting assertions made by the tobacco industry. Tobacco smuggling has become a critical public health issue. It affects public health by bringing tobacco onto markets cheaply, making cigarettes more affordable and thus stimulating consumption. “Review of tobacco industry activities in the Eastern Mediterranean Region” is a series of reports on the tactics and plans of the tobacco industry to undermine tobacco control efforts in the Region.
Voice of truth
Publication date: 2008
“Review of tobacco industry activities in the Eastern Mediterranean Region” is a series of reports on the tactics and plans of the tobacco industry to undermine tobacco control efforts in the Region. This report provides a strong argument for combining efforts as the only way to tackle the tobacco problem. It calls for all decision-makers and tobacco control advocates to review and redirect their tobacco control policies in light of the nature of tobacco industry activities.
Trust us: We're the tobacco industry
Publication date: 2006
This is a concise guide to the millions of pages of confidential tobacco industry documents released through litigation in the United States. Quotes from the documents are organized by subject category with many links to the documents on internet sites. The documents reveal the truth about what was going on behind closed doors in the tobacco companies and how they said one thing in public, and something quite different in private.
Tobacco industry documents: How to find them on the internet
Publication date: 2004
"Tobacco and poverty" is a package developed for the World No Tobacco Day 2004 campaign. "Tobacco industry documents: How to find them on the internet" explains how the documents can be accessed and explored through the special websites run by the companies themselves. They include documents that explain what the companies knew about tobacco, when they knew it and what they concealed from the public about their dangerous product.
Behind the scenes: The inherent contradiction behind big tobacco's corporate social responsibility
Publication date: 2004
"Tobacco and poverty" is a package developed for the World No Tobacco Day 2004 campaign. "Behind the scenes: The inherent contradiction behind big tobacco’s corporate social responsibility" reveals the misleading claims made by the tobacco companies to redefine themselves as responsible corporate citizens. While claiming to have changed their marketing practices, the companies are actually increasing their marketing expenditures, often in ways most effective at reaching young people.
The tobacco industry documents: What they are, what they tell us, and how to search them: A practical manual
Publication date: 2002
This publication tells the story of how a powerful industry was forced by US courts to reveal its innermost secret documents, documents that explain what nine tobacco companies knew, when they knew it and what they concealed from the public about their dangerous product. It also summarizes the major findings in the documents discovered during the Minnesota trial and demonstrates how anyone can readily research the documents from several websites and the continuing value of these documents to journalists, public health workers, government officials and ordinary citizens.
Coveting Iran: The infiltration and exploitation of Iran by global cigarette companies
Publication date: 2001
This report reveals the importance placed on Iran by the entire tobacco industry, according to the industry’s internal documents obtained from court proceedings in the United States. The documents suggest that the multinational tobacco companies saw Iran not only as a market, but also as a conduit for the supply of contraband cigarettes to other countries.This report reveals the importance placed on Iran by the entire tobacco industry, according to the industry’s internal documents obtained from court proceedings in the United States.