Tobacco.org

• WHO global pact against tobacco smuggling stalled  

A global pact to halt smuggling and counterfeiting of tobacco products, which costs governments up to $40 billion a year in lost taxes, has become bogged down over ways to trace products, officials said on Friday.

The agreement would also ban duty-free sales of cigarettes, popular with international air travellers, but which health campaigners claim are often diverted into illicit trade.

The aim is to reach agreement in Geneva by Sunday ahead of a meeting in November in Uruguay where the pact could be adopted.

But by Friday, debate had not even begun on duty-free sales.

Campaigners have accused multinational tobacco companies and duty-free lobbyists of trying to derail the week-long negotiations being held among officials from 168 countries under the auspices of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

"There is a consensus that track-and-trace measures are needed to combat traffic in illicit products," Vijay Trivedi, policy advisor to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) secretariat, told Reuters.

"The devil lies in the detail," he said.

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• MONTECINO / DREYFUS: Philip Morris vs. Uruguay 

Philip Morris International believes Uruguay is Marlboro Country. On February 19, the tobacco giant filed a lawsuit against that country, charging that new health measures involving cigarette packaging amount to unfair treatment of the company.

Uruguay's new legislation, submitted in June 2009 and expected to go into effect in March 2010, requires that 80 percent of each side of cigarette boxes be covered by graphic images of the possible detrimental health effects of smoking. The company argues that the law limits the space for branding and thus infringes on its intellectual property rights.

These requirements are nothing new in Uruguay or elsewhere in the world. . . .

Ironically, the U.S.-based Philip Morris is filing its claim under a bilateral investment treaty between Uruguay and Switzerland, even though that European country became the most recent nation to adopt strict cigarette packaging rules on January 1, 2010.

Philip Morris has its headquarters in New York but its operations center in Lausanne, Switzerland. The firm is famous for Marlboros (the world's top-selling cigarette) and controls around 15 percent of the international cigarette market outside the United States.

This case echoes many others currently underway in developing regions, where powerful corporations from the developed north seek to take advantage of "investor protections," under trade agreements and bilateral investment treaties, to ensure profits at any cost. Such claims are decided by international arbitration tribunals that cannot force a country to repeal its laws but can award massive compensation to the foreign investor.

Philip Morris's lawsuit is a logical step in the tobacco industry's aggressive push toward new markets . . .

All nations should be allowed to implement legislation they believe protects their population’s health — without having to face expensive lawsuits from global corporations. Philip Morris’s suit is just the latest in the tobacco industry’s long history of abuse of power.

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Big Tobacco still on the march, WHO warns 

Governments must do more to protect workers in bars, restaurants and the entertainment sector from harmful smoke, and curb tobacco advertising and sponsorship, the World Health Organization said on Friday.

Developing countries are the new frontier for tobacco companies, which often target women and girls, and smoking rates remain high among poor people in affluent countries, it said.

Tobacco kills more than 5 million people a year from cardiovascular disease, cancers, diabetes and other chronic illnesses, including about 600,000 from second-hand smoke, according to the United Nations agency.

"Most alarming of all, tobacco use is actually increasing in many developing countries. If Big Tobacco is in retreat in some parts of the world, it is on the march in others," Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO director-general, told a meeting to review implementation of a landmark tobacco treaty five years after it came into force.

"As we all know, the tobacco industry is ruthless, devious, rich and powerful," she said.

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Report: Five Years In, tobacco Treaty is Saving Lives, Continues to be Stymied by Industry, US Still Absent 

Today representatives from the 168 ratifying countries of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) tobacco treaty gathered to celebrate its landmark fifth anniversary. As part of the convening, the treaty Secretariat released a comprehensive report on the history of the treaty, assessing its successes to date and the challenges that remain.

The civil society organizations, like U.S.-based Corporate Accountability International, responsible for mobilizing global grassroots support for the treaty were also on hand to discuss the persistent and primary threat to the treaty’s full implementation: interference by the tobacco industry.

“These countries deserve a lot of credit. Each has overcome significant industry opposition and pressure to advance the lifesaving measures of this treaty,” said Gigi Kellett, Challenging Big Tobacco campaign director for Corporate Accountability International. “The threat from Big Tobacco is still eminent. And still there is reason for great optimism, given the success of the treaty to date.”

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• CHAN: Convention on tobacco control a triumph for public health 

Some years ago, tobacco company executives described WHO as the industry’s single biggest enemy. We have always been extremely proud of this distinction and have worked hard to improve our reputation.

That distinction turned out to be farsighted. As time would tell, the industry’s biggest enemy had some truly big things in store.

Today we are celebrating the fifth anniversary of the entry into force of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. As we all know, the tobacco industry is ruthless, devious, rich, and powerful. As we all know, neither WHO nor public health is rich, but with the Framework Convention now in place, we are indeed powerful.

If the measures set out in the Framework Convention were fully implemented, they could overpower or at least stand up to industry tactics, even as well-financed and ruthless as these are known to be. . . .

The tobacco industry, describing itself as “responsible”, continues to ask for a seat at the table as protocols to the Convention are negotiated.

As a recent story in The Economist noted, this is roughly equivalent to kindly allowing a pack of sly foxes to look after the welfare of your chickens. The answer is a firm no.

Like my predecessors, I am not on speaking terms with the tobacco industry, but I will say this: We’ve come a long way, bullies.

With the WHO Framework Convention as a support, we know how to stand our ground.

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• Big Tobacco still on the march, WHO warns 

Governments must do more to protect workers in bars, restaurants and the entertainment sector from harmful smoke, and curb tobacco advertising and sponsorship, the World Health Organisation said on Friday.

Developing countries are the new frontier for tobacco companies, which often target women and girls, and smoking rates remain high among poor people in affluent countries, it said.

Tobacco kills more than 5 million people a year from cardiovascular disease, cancers, diabetes and other chronic illnesses, including about 600,000 from second-hand smoke, according to the United Nations agency.

"Most alarming of all, tobacco use is actually increasing in many developing countries. If Big Tobacco is in retreat in some parts of the world, it is on the march in others," Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO director-general, told a meeting to review implementation of a landmark tobacco treaty five years after it came into force.

"As we all know, the tobacco industry is ruthless, devious, rich and powerful," she said. . . .

But WHO monitoring has revealed huge gaps in implementing the treaty.

"For example, just slightly more than 5 percent of the world's population is protected by national smoke-free laws," Chan said.

Indonesia, the world's fourth-most populous nation, the United States, and tobacco-producing Zimbabwe are among those that have stayed outside the pact.

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World health chief slams tobacco industry bullies 

World Health Organisation chief Margaret Chan on Friday accused "ruthless, devious" tobacco companies of bullying as she battled attempts to stimulate smoking in poor nations.

In a speech marking the fifth anniversary of an international convention on tobacco control, Chan said she would not allow the tobacco industry to take part in talks on expanding the world's first public health treaty.

"Like my predecessors, I am not on speaking terms with the tobacco industry, but I will say this: we've come a long way, bullies," she said at WHO headquarters in Geneva.

The 2005 convention bans advertising and sponsorship, advocates tobacco taxes, legislation to make public places smoke-free and other restrictions to stifle a growth in smoking which is blamed for increasing heart disease, strokes and cancers.

"The battle against opposition continues, especially in developing countries," the UN health chief said.

"Most alarming of all, tobacco use is actually increasing in many developing countries. If Big Tobacco is in retreat in some parts of the world, it is on the march in others," Chan said.

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• Fifth Anniversary of Global Tobacco Control Treaty Presents Opportunity For U.S. Ratification and Leadership  

The fifth anniversary of the international treaty to address the global tobacco epidemic presents a significant opportunity for President Obama to continue his strong leadership on tobacco control by submitting the treaty to the Senate for ratification and urging its quick approval.

President Obama and Congress have already demonstrated clear and committed leadership on the tobacco problem by enacting the historic law giving the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco products and marketing, and by raising cigarette taxes to finance health insurance for low-income children. Now, by ratifying the tobacco control treaty, the President and the Senate have the opportunity to lead in the global struggle against tobacco use

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• Swiss smoking ban evaded by holes in wall 

The three holes enable patrons to stick their heads through the larger top hole and their hands through the other two so they can technically have a cigarette outside.

Dino Lottaz, 49, devised the smoking wall in his Restaurant Caravelle in Bosingen, in the canton of Fribourg, when local authorities introduced a ban on smoking in public areas, including bars and restaurants, this month. . . .

"My clients seem to approve. They can legally have a cigarette without leaving the establishment."

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Smoking ban linked to drop in heart attacks 

A ban on smoking in restaurants and bars in eastern Switzerland could have led to fewer heart attacks since its introduction, according to a recent medical study.

These first Swiss results come after similar findings in other countries, and constitute yet another indication that cigarettes play an important role in cardiac disease.

The smoking ban was introduced in canton Graubünden in March 2008. According to the study’s authors, although there is no clear correlation between the ban and cases of acute myocardial infarction [heart attacks], these fell 22 per cent from March 2008 to February 2009 compared with 2006 and 2007.

In the two years before smoke-free legislation was introduced in Graubünden, 229 and 242 patients respectively from all over the canton were treated in Chur for acute myocardial infarction. After the ban, that number fell to 183 cases.

According to the lead author of the study, Piero Bonetti, the decrease is due mainly to fewer heart attacks among non-smokers. Passive smoking is believed to increase the risk of heart disease for this category by up to 30 per cent.

The other beneficiaries included people with a history of coronary disease and holidaymakers.

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• Smoking ban linked to drop in heart attacks 

A ban on smoking in restaurants and bars in eastern Switzerland could have led to fewer heart attacks since its introduction, according to a recent medical study.

These first Swiss results come after similar findings in other countries, and constitute yet another indication that cigarettes play an important role in cardiac disease.

The smoking ban was introduced in canton Graubünden in March 2008. According to the study’s authors, although there is no clear correlation between the ban and cases of acute myocardial infarction [heart attacks], these fell 22 per cent from March 2008 to February 2009 compared with 2006 and 2007.

In the two years before smoke-free legislation was introduced in Graubünden, 229 and 242 patients respectively from all over the canton were treated in Chur for acute myocardial infarction. After the ban, that number fell to 183 cases.

According to the lead author of the study, Piero Bonetti, the decrease is due mainly to fewer heart attacks among non-smokers. Passive smoking is believed to increase the risk of heart disease for this category by up to 30 per cent.

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Research and Markets: Tobacco in Switzerland  

The Tobacco in Switzerland report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data (2002-2007), allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market - be the new legislative, distribution or pricing issues. Forecasts to 2012 illustrate how the market is set to change.

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• Front of store, front of mind – but for WHO? 

Where, in an acutely sensitive regulatory environment, should the tobacco category be positioned in a duty free store?

When The Nuance Group opened its splendid new 650sq m tax & duty free store at Geneva International Airport earlier this month, it opted to place the entire tobacco category at the entrance of the store – displayed in what Nuance called a “breathtaking black and white setting”.

The logic is obvious. As many studies have proven, tobacco is not just a major drawcard in most duty free stores, it is also a tremendous fooftall (and therefore penetration) driver for other categories.

In Geneva that’s especially the case. The airport’s cigar assortment has long been a hallmark of the retail offer (it has been considerably enhanced here) and the cigarettes category is particularly important to the Geneva passenger profile.

But one wonders how that positioning sits with the approach likely to be adopted in English and Scottish duty free stores, where travel retailers have sought an exemption from proposed tobacco display restrictions that are being touted under the Health Bill. . . .

As we reported recently, The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion (Display) (England) Regulations 2010 propose wide-ranging limitations on the display and merchandising of tobacco products.

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Tobacco Deal With Tennis Organisation May Breach UK And International Law 

Six years after the ban on tobacco advertising and sponsorship in the UK, a London-based sports body stands accused of breaching the law by promoting a cigarette brand on its website.[1] The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) which represents the world's top male tennis players, is responsible for the sponsorship contracts for the various international tournaments. The next ATP World Tour tournament, which is due to take place in Basel, Switzerland from 31 October to 8 November, is sponsored by Davidoff, a cigarette brand manufactured by Imperial Tobacco. The Swiss indoor tournament is believed to be the only one in the world to be sponsored by a tobacco company.

British-based Imperial Tobacco acquired the Davidoff cigarette brand in 2006 and has exploited the weak law in Switzerland which still allows events to be sponsored by tobacco companies, although tobacco advertising on television is banned. However, the televising of the event means that tobacco advertising will be beamed into the homes of more than one billion people worldwide, [2] contrary to Article 13 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control which has been signed by 160 countries worldwide. [3]

ASH has written to the ATP urging the organisation to end its ties with the tobacco industry when the current contract comes to an end and is seeking clarification from the Department of Health regarding the possible breach of UK law.

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• Tobacco deal with tennis organisation may breach UK and international law 

Six years after the ban on tobacco advertising and sponsorship in the UK, a London-based sports body stands accused of breaching the law by promoting a cigarette brand on its website.[1] The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) which represents the world's top male tennis players, is responsible for the sponsorship contracts for the various international tournaments. The next ATP World Tour tournament, which is due to take place in Basel, Switzerland from 31 October to 8 November, is sponsored by Davidoff, a cigarette brand manufactured by Imperial Tobacco. The Swiss indoor tournament is believed to be the only one in the world to be sponsored by a tobacco company.

British-based Imperial Tobacco acquired the Davidoff cigarette brand in 2006 and has exploited the weak law in Switzerland which still allows events to be sponsored by tobacco companies, although tobacco advertising on television is banned. However, the televising of the event means that tobacco advertising will be beamed into the homes of more than one billion people worldwide, [2] contrary to Article 13 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control which has been signed by 160 countries worldwide. [3]

ASH has written to the ATP urging the organisation to end its ties with the tobacco industry when the current contract comes to an end and is seeking clarification from the Department of Health regarding the possible breach of UK law.

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