ASH Daily News for 13/10/2000

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ASH Daily News

13 October 2000

Headlines
‘Tobacco groups split over tactics on WHO treaty’
‘How can cigarette smuggling be reduced’
‘Tobacco firms refuse to hand over crucial papers’
‘Tobacco giant admits cigarettes are addictive’
‘Defeating the good word on the bad habit’
‘BAT Unit will start taking phone orders for cigarettes’

Full Text

‘Tobacco groups split over tactics on WHO treaty’

The Financial Times reports that, ‘Philip Morris of the US and British
American Tobacco, the world's biggest tobacco multinationals, were split on
Thursday over tactics in their common effort to dilute the provisions of a
World Health Organisation anti-smoking treaty. ‘
The article continues, ‘Philip Morris on Thursday claimed to support a
"strong" international convention curbing tobacco use worldwide, especially
measures to discourage youth smoking. "Sensible regulation of tobacco
benefits society and consumers everywhere," David Davies, vice-president for
corporate affairs, told a news conference. BAT, by contrast, which also says
it supports "sensible regulation" such as action on youth smoking,
reiterated its view that tobacco control should be left to national
governments. Chris Proctor, BAT's head of science and regulation, accused
the WHO of an "imperialistic" approach by dictating what measures
governments should adopt. ‘
The article adds, ‘Both statements were met with scepticism by anti-smoking
campaigners and by the WHO, which in August published a detailed report on
past efforts by Philip Morris, BAT and others to subvert its tobacco control
programmes.’
Source: Financial Times, 13 October 2000

‘How can cigarette smuggling be reduced’
Luk Joosens and Martin Raw have an article published in the British Medical
Journal. The article discusses way that tobacco smuggling can be combated
and argues that cutting tobacco taxes does not work as countries with low
tobacco taxes also have the problem of tobacco smuggling . The well
researched and constructed article also states, ‘Andorra shows that tobacco
companies view contraband markets as simply one area of market competition.
In an extraordinary admission, the deputy chairman of BAT (a former minister
for health) recently said: "Where any government is unwilling to act or
their efforts are unsuccessful, we act, completely within the law, on the
basis that our brands will be available alongside those of our competitors
in the smuggled as well as the legitimate market." An editorial in the
Guardian the following day said that this was an incredible admission: "He
has openly admitted that the company supplies cigarettes knowing that they
are likely to end up on the black market."
The article adds, ‘A generous conclusion would be that the tobacco industry
transports containers of a product worth $1-3m with astonishing
recklessness. In fact, as we have shown, the real problem is fraud, and the
real solution must therefore be to control, through international treaty,
the transport of this valuable and dangerous product. One of the problems
has been that the manufacturers have been technically within the law,
arguing that what dealers do with their (legally sold and bought) cigarettes
is not their business. Similar arguments have proved socially and
politically unacceptable when the product is arms, and so we recommend that
tobacco export and transit should be controlled by mechanisms similar to
those for arms control.’
Source: BMJ, Volume 321, 14 October 2000
Link: http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/321/7266/947
Correspondence to: L Joossens joossens@globalink.org

‘Tobacco firms refuse to hand over crucial papers’

The Irish Independent reports, ‘A court battle is looming over the refusal
of tobacco companies to release key documents to the government committee
investigating the industry, it emerged yesterday.’

The article adds, ‘The documentation is central to the probe to be conducted
by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children who will recommend
whether the State should sue the companies for the cost of treating patients
with smoking-related illnesses.’

Source: Irish Independent, 14 October 20000

‘Tobacco giant admits cigarettes are addictive’

The world's largest tobacco company, Philip Morris, has again stated that
cigarettes are addictive and harmful (‘as the term is commonly used today’),
during public hearings in Geneva in the run-up to a global treaty on tobacco
control.

Source: The Guardian, The Times, International Herald Tribune, 13 October
2000
Link:
http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4075888,00.html

‘Defeating the good word on the bad habit’

An article appears in the Financial Times that discusses the challenge of
‘Public health officials fighting tobacco use are starting to realise that
advertising can be as powerful tool as legislation.’

The article mentions that the truth campaign, http://www.truth.com in Florida that
has created the anti-smoking brand, ‘truth’ and also discusses the current
‘Don’t give up, giving up’ campaign that is being run by the advertising
agency,. Abbot Mead Vickers. BBDO, for the UK government.

Source: Financial Times, 13 October

‘BAT Unit will start taking phone orders for cigarettes’

BAT’s American subsidiary, Brown & Williamson, is to sell cigarettes that
are less in demand by mail, fax and eventually through an internet site. The
Daily Mail reports ‘anti-smoking groups are fired up over the ploy’ because
it may lead to underage children being able to order cigarettes. It quotes
Matthew Myers, head of Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, as saying, ‘Short of
requiring a person to show an ID when the cigarettes are delivered, all the
other precautions are easily circumvented.’

Source: Wall Street Journal Europe and Daily Mail, 13 October 2000