Confronting tobacco industry attacks against tobacco control advocates: Case studies and strategic responses; panel presentations followed by a discussion (original) (raw)

JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2001

THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) ESTIMATES THAT 4 MILLION people will die of tobacco-related illness in 2001 and that this number will climb to 10 million per year by the 2020s. 1 Despite this overwhelming mortality, a significant gap exists between the scientific consensus on the dangers of tobacco use and the political reality of what governments have been able to achieve in terms of tobacco control. Last year, a US Supreme Court judgment stripped the Food and Drug Administration of its authority to regulate tobacco. The past few months have revealed a more insidious setback: a recent study found that the $206 billion master settlement agreement between 46 states and the tobacco industry, which was designed to fund a nationwide campaign to curb tobacco use, has had little effect on cigarette advertising in magazines and on the exposure of young people to these advertisements. 2 Tobacco control involves both politics and science-and since the scientific evidence supporting tobacco regulation is sound and well documented, this suggests that there has been a breakdown in the political process. The health sector and its allied antitobacco forces have been stymied in their efforts to bring about enactment of effective tobacco control measures. While the consensus opinion of the medical community about tobacco-related mortality reflects the strength of epidemiologic and scientific evidence, this opinion does not prescribe any assured method for effecting political change. Having conclusively established the harm that results from tobacco use, the medical community must now find political direction in its antitobacco initiative if it is to be effective.

How tobacco industry shapes tobacco control policies to its advantage: Methodological and ethical aspects of the investigation

Tobacco Prevention & Cessation

is an open access, peer-reviewed online journal that encompasses all aspects of tobacco use, prevention and cessation that can promote a tobacco free society. The aim of the journal is to foster, promote and disseminate research involving tobacco use, prevention, policy implementation at a regional, national or international level, disease development-progression related to tobacco use, tobacco use impact from the cellular to the international level and finally the treatment of tobacco attributable disease through smoking cessation.

Public health aspects of tobacco control revisited

2010

The tobacco epidemic presents a major public health challenge, globally, and within Europe. The aim of the Public Health Work Stream at the 2nd European Workshop on Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation for Oral Health Professionals was to review the public health aspects of tobacco control and make recommendations for action. The paper reports on the size of the tobacco challenge; from the associated mortality and morbidity to the prevalence of exposure to, and use of, tobacco. It provides a review of progress on tobacco control measures, as monitored by the World Health Organisation, and the impact of multiple influences on tobacco use. Every member of the dental team was considered to have a role as a public health advocate in promoting health and preventing disease in order to address health inequalities. A range of evidence-based approaches to tobacco control from clinical practice through to public policy are advocated, using the principles of the Ottawa Charter, recognising the multiple determinants of health. Tackling the tobacco epidemic may require a paradigm shift in oral healthcare. Therefore, key resources for health professionals on tobacco control are discussed and the implications of the findings for research, policy and practice in Europe are explored.

Tobacco challenge and implementation research in EC funded projects

Tobacco Prevention & Cessation, 2019

Tobacco harm reduction: opportunity and opposition

Drugs and Alcohol Today, 2013

Purpose-This paper aims to provide a brief summary of the effectiveness and efficacy of tobacco harm reduction (THR). THR is the substitution for cigarettes of low-risk alternatives, including Swedish or American-style smokeless tobacco, pharmaceutical nicotine products, and electronic cigarettes. The paper then very briefly summarizes the current social and political situation regarding THR. Design/methodology/approach-This paper is a review of the evidence. Findings-The risk from smoke-free tobacco/nicotine products is so low as to be unmeasurable. For most smokers, adopting THR is a lower risk option than to trying to become nicotine abstinent. THR products have been widely adopted in some populations, providing great public health benefits. There is currently an explosion of interest in electronic cigarettes. However, THR is a threat to the business model of the tobacco control industry, and so they are fighting hard to discourage it. Because they cannot admit their real motives for discouraging THR, anti-THR activism is an entirely dishonest enterprise. Practical implications-Tobacco harm reduction is the greatest untapped public health initiative in the developed world. It is more promising than further attempts to promote tobacco/nicotine abstinence. The future inevitably includes a large portion of the population using low-risk tobacco/nicotine, but anti-THR efforts might keep people smoking in the short run. Originality/value-While most of the content of this paper is well known to experts on THR, many ostensible experts on health, as well as other opinion leaders and policy makers, are unaware of the truth.

Confronting tobacco industry attacks against tobacco control advocates: Case studies and strategic responses; panel presentations followed by a discussion (original) (raw)

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