News

In an article for the British Medical Journal, researchers from the University of Bath’s Tobacco Control Research Group explored Twitter activity around the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The research analysed over 9000 tweets that included #COP8FCTC to gain insight into the tactics, arguments and…

A new research report from the Investigative Desk in the Netherlands, with support from Dr. Robert Branston and Andy Rowell from the University of Bath’s Tobacco Control Research Group, shows which main tax avoidance methods the Big 4 tobacco companies are using to minimise their tax bill. The investigation found that in six European countries (Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, The…

In an article for the British Medical Journal, Dr. Allen Gallagher from the University of Bath’s Tobacco Control Research Group analysed submissions to the EU’s public consultation on tobacco traceability and security features. The EU’s T&T system became operational in May 2019 as part of a requirement of The Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products.

A new report from Adiariocr.com exposes industry lobbying to frustrate action on cigarette smuggling in Latin America. According to the news site, the Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (TRACIT), an organisation of which Philip Morris International (PMI) is a partner, has been attempting to interfere in the design of public policies in Costa Rica and other…

New figures show that Jordan has surpassed Indonesia to have the highest smoking rates in the world. Including e-cigarettes and other “smokeless” products, more than eight in 10 Jordanian men are nicotine users, according to a 2019 national survey carried out in collaboration with the World Health Organization. Smoking used to be endemic in wealthier countries such as the US,…

The tobacco giant Philip Morris has taken advantage of the UK’s ban on menthol cigarettes to promote its new tobacco product, despite heavy restrictions on advertising tobacco, reports The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. In the run up to the ban the company hired sales reps to promote its menthol heated tobacco products directly to newsagents, one of the only…

At its annual general meeting, Phillip Morris International (PMI) assured its shareholders that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, its primary concern was the health and wellbeing of its employees and their communities. But the slides the tobacco company shared during its annual shareholders meeting reveal the true concerns that lie under its thin veneer of philanthropy: a decline in sales and…

Initial analysis of the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World’s 2019 tax return provides further evidence that it operates primarily as a PR arm of tobacco giant Philip Morris International. On 15 May 2020, The Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW), which claims to be an “independent, non-profit organization committed to reducing deaths and diseases caused by smoking,” filed…

In an article for Eco-Business.com, Tobacco Tactics’ Nancy Karreman explores the tobacco industry’s environmental violations and why it is engaged in the worst kind greenwashing. The latest announcements from British American Tobacco (BAT) are a good example of this. When Jack Bowles, the Chief Executive, introduced the company’s new growth strategy recently, he proclaimed that BAT was transitioning…