The Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is alerting governments and the public that the tobacco industry is intensifying efforts to interfere with the work of the Conference of the Parties (COP), the treaty’s decision-making body, to weaken global tobacco control measures.
The WHO FCTC is the first treaty negotiated under the auspices of WHO and one of the most widely and rapidly embraced United Nations treaties in history. A total of 183 Parties have joined the Convention, which entered into force 20 years ago.
Tobacco use remains a pressing public health issue worldwide, especially with shisha and other products gaining popularity among young people. Kazakhstan took a firm step by banning the sale, import, and production of e-cigarettes and all tobacco products, while maintaining restrictions on shisha smoking in public places. In an exclusive interview with Kazinform News Agency, WHO Representative Dr. Skender Syla spoke about the country’s progress in tobacco control and warned of the serious health risks posed by waterpipe smoking.
The Philippines is a party to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), which aims to protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental, and economic consequences of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke.
South Korea is moving to classify synthetic nicotine as tobacco under the Tobacco Business Act, subjecting e-cigarettes to the same regulations and taxes as traditional cigarettes for the first time. A subcommittee of the National Assembly’s Strategy and Finance Committee approved the revision on Monday, expanding the definition of tobacco from “tobacco leaf” to “tobacco or nicotine.”
A representative of the Canadian Cancer Society is calling on the Nova Scotia government to dedicate a sizable amount of a historic legal settlement with tobacco companies toward efforts to help reduce smoking rates in the province.
"The origin of Nova Scotia's lawsuit was the devastating health effects and health-care costs because of smoking and tobacco companies," Rob Cunningham, a policy analyst with the society, said in an interview.
Declaring that “the time for silent acceptance is over,” young Filipinos issued a powerful challenge to the government and the tobacco industry as they unveiled a national youth manifesto calling for sweeping reforms to protect their generation from nicotine addiction.
The future of a Biden-era proposal to slash nicotine levels in cigarettes is uncertain after the Trump administration excluded it from a key regulatory roadmap amid growing industry pressure to scrap the bid.
Another $50,000 from tobacco giant Altria last month brings money raised to expand the Republican Party of Kentucky headquarters to about $3.65 million.
Another $50,000 from tobacco giant Altria last month brings money raised to expand the Republican Party of Kentucky headquarters to about $3.65 million.
Another $50,000 from tobacco giant Altria last month brings money raised to expand the Republican Party of Kentucky headquarters to about $3.65 million.
In a recent 8-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Philip Morris International Inc (NYSE:PM). announced the completion of its subsidiary Vectura Group Ltd.'s sale to Molex Asia Holdings Ltd. The transaction was finalized on Monday, December 31, 2024, and the terms of the sale were in line with the details previously disclosed on September 17, 2024.
According to a report in the Inverness Courier on January 1st, Gillian Mackay, the health spokesperson for the Scottish Green Party, has called for the government to introduce a "robust" e-cigarette licensing system as part of regulating the industry.
Pakistan’s struggle with tobacco control reveals how industry interference and policymaker susceptibility can undermine public health efforts. Recently, Pakistan has been operating without a WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) technical focal point.
Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The tobacco industry has a significant influence on public policies and enjoys benefits that are of concern to health and transparency organizations in Honduras. A recent report presented by the Center for Family Health Promotion ( Ceprosaf ) and Corporate Accountability warns of the lack of effective controls and possible conflicts of interest between senior government officials and tobacco companies.
Latin America and the Caribbean (July 23, 2024) – Today, representatives of organizations from Latin America and the Caribbean released a video in which they denounce the interference of the tobacco industry in their countries and ask their governments to protect children and youth from this industry.
The Health Promotion Centre (HPC) at the Ministry of Health (MoH) recently inked a deal with digital media advertising company MixMedia for their anti-tobacco mass media campaign.
The signing ceremony was held at the Health Promotion Centre, Ministry of Health.
The campaign collaboration is one of the initiatives by MOH to disseminate anti-tobacco messages in conjunction with World No Tobacco Day 2024 and will run for 12 months.
British American Tobacco Company (BAT) has been promoting sales of cigarette, a controlled product, in upscale restaurants and hotels in big cities in a clear violation of tobacco control laws, The Daily Star has found.
A subsidiary of British American Tobacco is lobbying the government of Pakistan to allow it to export 10-packs of cigarettes to war-torn Sudan, prompting criticism from a smoking campaign group.
Pakistan is among more than 80 countries that do not permit the sale or manufacture of 10-packs of cigarettes, which the World Health Organization has said make smoking more affordable for children.
But BAT’s subsidiary, Pakistan Tobacco Company (PTC), has written to the government’s health ministry to lobby for a change in the law that would allow it to make smaller packs there, for export to Sudan and other countries where they are not prohibited.
In a leaked letter seen by the Guardian, PTC said it had “received a new export order to manufacture for Sudan, which includes packs of 10 cigarettes”.
Jakarta, 31 May 2024 – On World No Tobacco Day 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) is urgently calling on legislators and policy makers in Indonesia to protect young people from tobacco industry interference amid a series of key legislative developments that have the potential to safeguard the health not just of the current generation of young Indonesians but every generation to come.
Globally, tobacco kills more than 8 million people every year, including an estimated 1.3 million non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke. Indonesia has one of the highest rates of tobacco use anywhere in the world, with a staggering 35.4% of adult Indonesians using tobacco, equal to more than 70 million people.
A 22-year-old Filipino male died of a heart attack following a severe lung injury, which is linked to his daily vape usage for two years, the Department of Health said Friday.
In a media forum, DOH Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo stressed that e-cigarettes and vaping elevated the risk of acute myocardial infarction and stroke.
Domingo said the 22-year-old Filipino male with no known comorbidities was brought to the emergency room in 2023.
This was based on the research study published in the Respirology Case Reports journal of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology by Dr. Margarita Isabel Fernandez and several doctors of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).
Philip Morris Cyprus’ ambitious goal of making Cyprus the first smoking-free country in Europe, was presented by the company’s General Manager Stavros Drakoularakos at the opening of its new offices, at the Labs Tower in the heart of Nicosia, after only 2.5 years of presence in the Cypriot market. Referencing the company’s philosophy, “For every tomorrow we decide today”, Drakoularakos reiterated the commitment of the Philip Morris Cyprus team to accelerate efforts to achieve a cigarette-free Cyprus.
“Cyprus can lead the transition to a cigarette-free world and become the first European country to achieve this,” he said. “We have already made significant progress, with more than 55,000 Cypriots having made the transition to better alternatives to cigarettes.”
TEENAGERS who vape often could be at a higher risk of exposure to toxic metals, potentially harming brain or organ development, a study has suggested.
Sweet e-cigarette flavours could also pose additional risks, according to researchers. United States academics used responses from part of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study, which included American teenagers aged between 13 and 17.
