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Capitol Alert: Tobacco tax backers launch campaign with swipe at opponents 

Supporters of a tobacco tax slated for the June primary ballot launched the opening salvo today of what is expected to be a multimillion dollar campaign, framing their effort as a battle to beat moneyed "big tobacco" interests.

At a news conference kicking off the campaign, Proposition 29 proponents cast their measure, which would raise taxes on cigarettes by $1 a pack to fund cancer research and anti-smoking programs, as an approach to improve health and save lives.

"It's this simple: A no vote on Proposition 29 supports tobacco companies' strategy of singling out poor people and people of color for addiction and death. A yes vote on Proposition 29 is a vote for better health and live saving research," Joe Debbs of the American Heart Association said, adding: "From our perspective there is no middle ground. You're either with us, or you buy big tobacco's lies."

Supporters marked the official launch of the campaign for the initiative, which qualified for the ballot in 2010, by holding rallies in 21 other locations across the state that featured a bed with the message, "Let's see who's in bed with Big Tobacco."

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• Dutch unease over cigarette lobbying 

In the Netherlands, politicians are being accused of allowing the powerful tobacco lobby to exercise undue influence over smoking policy.

In recent years while most countries have been tightening anti-smoking legislation, the Netherlands has partially reversed some of its laws - allowing people to smoke in some bars again and cutting funding for anti-smoking organisations.

Now there are allegations that this could be due to improper links between the politicians and the tobacco industry, and experts are warning it could have a potentially deadly impact on the nation's health.

'Saved business'

Three years ago, like many others across Europe, the Dutch government outlawed smoking in bars.

But over the past six months, under pressure from licence holders, ministers in the Netherlands have been rolling back the restrictions. . . .

Researchers predict that without tougher anti-smoking policies and more help for those who want to give up over the next 30 years, almost a million people in the Netherlands will die prematurely due to tobacco-related diseases.

But the economic crisis is forcing the government to implement cross departmental budget cuts.

The Stiviro smoking cessation clinic in The Hague has had its government funding cut completely.

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• Smoking ban delayed by interested businesses  

DUBAI // Business is delaying the introduction of the law to stop smoking in public places and regulate tobacco sale and production, a senior health official says.

At a meeting of the GCC Tobacco Control Committee, with representatives from all six Gulf states, Dr Mahmoud Fikri, the undersecretary for health policy at the Ministry of Health, said the law was in the final stage of approval and awaiting cabinet approval.

But it has been at that stage since June, when the ministry submitted the regulation. Dr Fikri said implementing such a law was difficult.

"It is hard for things to run smoothly in this," he said. "There are a lot of interests, and there are big companies today and a lot of other things that come into effect.

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Don't raise the cigarette tax, national group tells Idaho legislators  

The D.C. conservative outfit Citizens Against Government Waste is wading into Idaho’s cigarette tax debate, telling the Legislature it should reject a proposal to raise the tax by $1.25.

Citizens Against Government Waste is best known for crusading against Congressional political pork, but its lobbying arm has taken on tobacco issues nationwide while at the same time collecting at least $245,000 from tobacco companies, according to a St. Petersburg Times report.

The lobbying arm, called the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, announced today that it’s sent a letter to the Idaho Legislature on the issue.

“Raising cigarette taxes, especially during a weak economy, will slow business and negatively impact state retailers … The Congressional Budget Office has reported that cigarette excise taxes are the most regressive type of excise tax and disproportionately impact the poor and those living on fixed incomes,” the letter says.

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RAHMAN: Fighting Big Tobacco in Malaysia — Fifa Rahman 

In a country where 46 per cent of males smoke, and where the government spends RM20 billion a year treating tobacco-related illnesses, it is imperative that we as a society demand greater health protection, and stronger tobacco laws.

However, in the enactment of tobacco laws to protect public health, and also in the execution of anti-tobacco/pro-health advocacy, there has been a long history of tobacco industry interference which undermines and very often, blocks efforts from materialising altogether. As someone who has had exposure to tobacco policies and regulation, I am fearful that tobacco industry interference is the most significant obstacle that policymakers and anti-tobacco advocates face today. . . .

In addition to the use of biased studies, over the years, the tobacco industry has also been very smart in recruiting influential persons or persons with previous government links to fill positions in their companies. A quick Google search of the Board of Directors of any large tobacco company will reveal names of highly influential persons, recognizable names that make tobacco lobbying just that much stronger.

The WHO provides measures to effectively deal with the tobacco epidemic; these are called the MPOWER measures -- all of which have in the past and currently face tobacco industry interference. These effective measures are: Monitoring of tobacco use; Protection from tobacco smoke; Offer help to cease smoking (cessation techniques); Warning of harms of tobacco use; Enforce advertising bans; and Raise taxes. . . .

In the campaign for smoke-free areas, the tobacco industry employs front-groups such as restaurant owners associations and tourism groups, stating that restaurant business would reduce and tourism would reduce. I could be wrong, but logically persons frequent restaurants for food and touristic areas for scenery and recreational activities -- not to smoke. Furthermore, evidence has proven that in New York, which banned smoking in restaurants, business was not adversely affected. In fact, the New York Restaurant Association and the Restaurant Union President supported smoking bans in restaurants for public health reasons.

The above anecdotes and worldwide experiences show that tobacco industry influence is rife and extremely powerful. As someone who has had tobacco control experience, I can verify as to interference that is alive and well, and that if we don't stand up, we won't just have 45 per cent of male smokers. That figure will increase unless something is done. Political will and the voice of the people will be imperative in defeating tobacco industry lobbying, and ensuring that Malaysians' health is better protected.

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• Plain cigarette packaging: Campaigners jostle for position 

Initial skirmishes are taking place over plans to impose plain cigarette packaging, ahead of a public consultation this spring.

Smokers' group Forest has set up an online petition for customers to lobby government ahead of the consultation, which is being backed by an alliance of tobacco control groups including Action on Smoking and Health (Ash).

"Public consultations on tobacco control are effectively public sector consultations," said director Simon Clark.

"Thousands of public workers are deployed to persuade MPs that there is overwhelming support for the latest tobacco control initiative.

"All over the country groups funded by the taxpayer will be gathering signatures or signing their own petitions. We want to give opponents of pointless regulation the voice they are often denied."

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Industry Documents Expose Nordic Tobacco Companies' Conspiratorial Behavior  

In the 1970s, Nordic countries were among the first to adopt policies against tobacco, like bans on cigarette advertising, health warning labels and smoke-free laws, but U.S.-owned tobacco companies, and particularly Philip Morris, makers of Marlboro, became concerned such polices could spread to America and other developed countries where they sold cigarettes. Also, Europe's first product liability case against the tobacco industry occurred in Finland in 1988, when a smoker sued several companies claiming their products caused his illness, causing even more concern for global tobacco companies. To help escape product liability claims, Nordic tobacco companies -- like Amer Tobacco and Rettig, which distributed Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds brands, respectively -- long claimed to be ignorant of, and denied participation in the multinational tobacco companies' global strategies to undermine anti-tobacco policies, but industry documents reveal the truth -- that smaller Nordic tobacco companies did, in fact, participate in the multinational companies’ long-time conspiracy to deny the health dangers of smoking and undermine anti-tobacco policies, helping delay key effective tobacco control measures, and particularly smoke-free laws, for years.

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ALEC and the Tobacco Industry  

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is an influential, under-the-radar organization that facilitates collaboration between many of the most powerful corporations in America and state-level legislative representatives. Elected officials then introduce legislation approved by corporations in state houses across the U.S., without disclosing that the bills were pre-approved by corporations on ALEC task forces.

ALEC has had a long relationship with the tobacco industry. . . .

ALEC's relationship with the tobacco industry started after 1979, when ALEC Executive Director, Kathleen Teague, first wrote the Tobacco Institute seeking financial support. Shortly after, Institute members started participating in ALEC events. The industry's relationship with ALEC showed its worth quickly after ALEC provided Tobacco Institute members with face-to-face access to highest-level federal elected officials. In 1981, Tobacco Institute President Samuel Chilcote accepted an invitation to attend an ALEC "Exclusive White House and Cabinet Briefing" meeting with none other than the president of the United States, Ronald Reagan and his cabinet. . . .

ALEC has taken the cigarette makers' side in virtually every debate between the industry and public health. A 1987-89 R.J. Reynolds strategic plan describes ALEC as an ally who could help "create an atmosphere of tolerance and fairness in the public's attitude toward smoking and smokers." RJR considered ALEC a friendly group of elected officials who would be willing "to tell our story in such a manner that it becomes their [other legislators'] position."

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Hands Off Our Packs 

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• The price paid: Manipulation of otolaryngologists by the tobacco industry to obfuscate the emerging truth that smoking causes cancer [FREE FULL TEXT] 

INTRODUCTION

In the mid-20th century the tobacco industry faced a dilemma. The emergence of ever more convincing data showing a link between smoking and cancer was threatening to undermine their market. These worrisome scientific findings were reported to the public via a steadily increasing stream of newspaper and magazine articles. The industry realized that mere advertising would not be effective against the weight of scientific authority. To plan their opposition, the industry engaged the era's most sophisticated public relations experts. Their strategy was to enlist prominent scientists and redirect their research to manufacture doubt about the emerging scientific facts and thereby to fabricate a climate of scientific controversy. Supported by generous payments, some of the U.S.'s foremost physicians, scientists, statisticians, and journal editors were recruited to participate in a decades-long effort to obfuscate the emerging truth that tobacco causes cancer.

Our purpose was to describe how the tobacco industry used the prestige and authority of leading head and neck surgeons to undermine scientific evidence about the role of smoking in cancer of the upper aerodigestive tract. Through consulting arrangements and research grants, a virtual Who's Who of leading head and neck surgeons from among the nation's foremost universities and cancer hospitals became involved, often unwittingly, in the industry's scheme. . . .

It is difficult to evaluate the impact that the collaboration of otolaryngologists and their organizations had on the growth in the consumption of tobacco products throughout this era. What is abundantly clear, however, as evidenced by the enormous rise in smoking over the years, is that the tobacco industry's campaign to obscure the health consequences of smoking was hugely successful. It could be speculated that forceful opposition of tobacco use by otolaryngologists may have improved public awareness of the dangers of smoking and perhaps even swayed government policy. The fact that organized medicine, lulled into complacency by lucrative industry support, largely stood by the wayside meant that many consumers were deprived of the opportunity to make better informed personal choices. Fortunately, once the preponderance of evidence became overwhelming, the pendulum swung, and by the late 1960s the otolaryngology community became forceful advocates for smoking cessation. . . .

CONCLUSIONS

The unfortunate history of physician collaboration with the marketing arms of tobacco companies has relevance to medicine in the 21st century. Future advances in medicine are strongly dependent on robust and mutually beneficial interactions between doctors and industry. Ethically, a physician must always act on behalf of the well-being of the patient. Responsible industries seek collaborations that balance the need to maximize profits with a commitment to optimize the health of their consumers. The lesson of the highly successful campaign by the tobacco industry to manipulate medical opinion is that physicians need to adhere to the highest standards of scientific validity and remain vigilant in their advocacy for their patient's interests.

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The price paid: Manipulation of otolaryngologists by the tobacco industry to obfuscate the emerging truth that smoking causes cancer  

Results:

Evidence shows that marketing divisions of major tobacco companies systematically sought to use the authority and prestige of otolaryngologists to support their promotional efforts. Industry documents reveal widespread collaboration by leaders in the field through conducting research and giving well-compensated testimony favorable to tobacco interests. Invariably, industry-funded research showed tobacco in a favorable light. The industry also sought to influence otolaryngologists with free cigarettes, elegant dinners, and hospitality booths at conventions.

Conclusions:

In revealing this unfortunate period in our history, we by no means intend to diminish the memory of distinguished leaders whose tobacco involvements were certainly more acceptable by the standards of their own time. Rather, by exposing the pervasive tobacco industry manipulation of scientific research for commercial purposes we seek to encourage vigilance by contemporary researchers who might consider seeking funding from an industry that places the pursuit of profits above the well-being of its customers.

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HUGHES: Flowers, fags and Faust  

Richard Ottaway also lists in the register of MP's interests that he and a guest were taken to the Chelsea Flower Show by Japan Tobacco International last May.

He must have done more than wandered around sniffing flowers, because the day out was worth over £1,000.

This Japanese firm is a big player in Britain because it took over some British brands. Japan Tobacco sells us our Silk Cut, Benson & Hedges and Camels. It also owns Old Holborn rolling tobacco - which, as I remember from my smoking days, is darker and wetter than Golden Virginia, but sometimes has odd bits of twig in it that can tear your Rizla.

Japan Tobacco has a big interest in getting MPs not to stop cigarette displays and advertising or put any more unpleasant labels on their packets. So it likes to entertain MPs.

Nigel Evans, the Tory Deputy Speaker, also went to the Chelsea Flower Show in May 2011 thanks to Japan Tobacco. But he forgot to register the trip until over six months later in December 2011. His forgetfulness means Evans was not named when newspapers reported protests over tobacco lobbyists entertaining MPs.

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• Big Tobacco led throat doctors to blow smoke 

Tobacco companies conducted a carefully crafted, decades-long campaign to manipulate throat doctors into helping to calm concerns among an increasingly worried public that smoking might be bad for their health, according to a new study by researchers at the School of Medicine. Beginning in the 1920s, this campaign continued for over half of a century.

"Tobacco companies sought to exploit the faith the public had in the medical profession as a means of reassuring their customers that smoking was safe," said Robert Jackler, MD, the Edward C. and Amy H. Sewall Professor in Otolaryngology.

"Tobacco companies dreamed up slogans such as, 'Not one single case of throat irritation with Camels;' then, to justify their advertising claims, marketing departments sought out pliant doctors to conduct well-compensated, pseudoscientific 'research,' which invariably found the sponsoring company's cigarettes to be safe," Jackler said. "The companies successfully influenced these physicians not only to promote the notion that smoking was healthful, but actually to recommend it as a treatment for throat irritation."

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Lobbyist behind Rick Perry’s Super PAC helped usher in revolving door culture at Texas capitol  

The Texas Legislature has become a wholly owned subsidiary of corporate interests led by Gov. Rick Perry’s political ally Mike Toomey, according to a report released this week by Texans for Public Justice. The report, Perry’s Roomie Mike Toomey Mobilizes The Corporate Lobby to ‘Make Us Great Again, details the rise of Toomey from a legislator in the Texas House of Representatives in the early 1980s to the most powerful lobbyist in Austin to the man behind the Super PAC supporting Perry’s failed presidential campaign. . . .

The most powerful of these corporate interests was Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR), which was founded with seed money from the tobacco industry. TLR would become Toomey’s top client, and one of the most feared PACs in Texas.

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Lobbyist Barron Joins Greenberg Traurig in D.C.  

Greenberg Traurig has hired a lobbyist from the Arlington, Va.-based government affairs shop of Russell & Barron, the law firm announced Thursday.

Edward Barron joined the Washington office of Greenberg as a shareholder in its government affairs practice. . . .

At Russell & Barron, Barron lobbied for more than two dozen clients in 2011, according to congressional records. They included PepsiCo Inc.; Altria Client Services Inc., a subsidiary of the company formerly known as Philip Morris Companies Inc.; and YUM! Brands Inc., which operates KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants.

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