Amit Yadav and I just published “Tobacco industry thwarts ad ban legislation in India in the 1990s: Lessons for meeting FCTC obligations under Articles 13 and 5.3” in Addictive Behaviors. This paper uses previously secret tobacco industry documents to present a history of the early battles in India to reign in the multinational tobacco industry.Continue reading “How the multinational tobacco companies fight tobacco control in India: The more things change the more they stay the same”
Category Archives: tobacco companies
New report highlights marketing of synthetic and “non-tobacco” nicotine products
Just as Congress is moving toward giving FDA explicit authority over non-tobacco nicotine products, Rob Jackler’s group at Stanford released a new report, “Marketing of ‘Tobacco-Free’ and ‘Synthetic Nicotine’ Products,” that details how these products are being promoted. In 2009 Congress gave the FDA jurisdiction over consumer products “made or derived from tobacco,” which includesContinue reading “New report highlights marketing of synthetic and “non-tobacco” nicotine products”
Now the usual “international experts” have shown up supporting industry efforts to weaken regulation of e-cigs and HTP in the Philippines
Under pressure from industry, the Philippine Congress has passed a retrograde bill that would roll back regulation of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products. Medical and health groups, as well as the government’s own Department of Health, are urging President Rodrigo R. Duterte to veto the bill, known as the Vaporized Nicotine Products Regulation Act. TheContinue reading “Now the usual “international experts” have shown up supporting industry efforts to weaken regulation of e-cigs and HTP in the Philippines”
Tobacco control policies are “softening” smokers
The desire to reach “hard core” smokers, typically characterized as smokers who “cannot or will not quit,” is one of the core justifications for e-cigarettes and other new alternative tobacco products are part of the industry’s “harm reduction” agenda. Now Miranda Harris and her Australian colleagues have produced a systematic review debunking the hardening hypothesisContinue reading “Tobacco control policies are “softening” smokers”
Altria’s electronic age verification system is used to gather consumer data and promote products
The tobacco companies, including e-cig company Juul, tout their electronic age verification technology as an effective way to reduce youth use and argue against stricter regulation. I have long been concerned that this technology would also allow the companies to collect marketing information that couple be used to promote their products the second that theyContinue reading “Altria’s electronic age verification system is used to gather consumer data and promote products”
Tremendous new resource on tobacco industry issue ads now available
Rob Jackler just published Propaganda Crusades by Philip Morris International & Altria: “Smoke-Free Future” & “Moving Beyond Smoke” Campaigns Exposing the Hypocrisy of the Claim: “A Tobacco Company That Actually Cares About Health,” an encyclopedic analysis of Philip Morris and Altria’s issue advertising campaigns claiming that the companies have changed from promoting death for profitContinue reading “Tremendous new resource on tobacco industry issue ads now available”
Court inaction continues to block Congressionally-mandated graphic warning labels on cigs
The 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act directed FDA to issue a rule requiring state-of-the-art graphic warning labels on cigarette packages. FDA issued such a rule, but the tobacco companies sued and blocked the original warnings in court in 2013. It took years, but in March 2020 FDA issued a new carefully designedContinue reading “Court inaction continues to block Congressionally-mandated graphic warning labels on cigs”
Health groups raise important substantive and procedural issues with PM’s application to make reduced exposure claims for IQOS 3
The American Academy of Pediatrics, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Heart Association, American Lung Association, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and Truth Initiative have submitted a well-conceived public comment to FDA opposing Philip Morris’ request to make “modified exposure” claims about the new IQOS 3. In addition to providing important information about new studiesContinue reading “Health groups raise important substantive and procedural issues with PM’s application to make reduced exposure claims for IQOS 3”
Industry easily adapts to FDA’s limited action on e-cig flavors
In response to skyrocketing youth e-cigarette use, driven largely by Juul removable pod flavored e-cigs, in January 2020, FDA said they would “prioritize enforcement” against most flavored pod e-cigs. Not surprisingly, youth and young adults have shifted to menthol and disposable flavored e-cigs that FDA is not prioritizing. Now Shivani Gaiha and her colleagues atContinue reading “Industry easily adapts to FDA’s limited action on e-cig flavors”
Philip Morris’ modified risk tobacco product application for IQOS 3 does not adequately consider new research on IQOS’s appeal to adolescents or young adults, consumer perceptions, or the likelihood that the consumers will misunderstand labeling and marketing; FDA should not issue a reduced exposure MRTP order
Philip Morris has applied for permission from FDA to make reduced exposure claims for its new IQOS 3 heated tobacco product. My colleagues and I at the UCSF TCORS have submitted a public comment opposing this request. The main thrust of the comment is a discussion of 57 papers published since 2018 that consider IQOS’sContinue reading “Philip Morris’ modified risk tobacco product application for IQOS 3 does not adequately consider new research on IQOS’s appeal to adolescents or young adults, consumer perceptions, or the likelihood that the consumers will misunderstand labeling and marketing; FDA should not issue a reduced exposure MRTP order”
Stanton Glantz blog 