Editorial Tob Control: first published as 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2017-054080 on 24 October 2017. Downloaded from

industry pig, but in a way it’s far worse A “Frank Statement” for the this time: by using a formerly high profile WHO leader as a spokesperson, PMI can 21st Century? also accelerate its longstanding ambition to splinter the tobacco control movement.5 Ruth E Malone,1 Simon Chapman,2 Prakash C Gupta,3 It’s also not true, as the video suggests, 4 5 6 7 that tobacco control efforts have Rima Nakkash, Tih Ntiabang, Eduardo Bianco, Yussuf Saloojee, “plateaued.” Cigarette consumption is 8 9 9 10 Prakit Vathesatogkit, Laurent Huber, Chris Bostic, Pascal Diethelm, declining and since 2003, more than Cynthia Callard,11 Neil Collishaw,11 Anna B Gilmore12 180 countries have become parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), committing The surprise announcement by the former from having any influence over how the themselves to implement effective policy head of the WHO’s Tobacco Free Initia- Foundation spends its funds or focuses its measures and building public support for 2 tive, Derek Yach, that he would head a activities.’ ending the epidemic. PMI knows this, newly-established organisation called the Except that is what a broad range of hence its ongoing, covert and overt efforts 1 ‘Foundation for a Smoke-free World’ to industry front groups, sometimes headed to stymie the FCTC.6 ‘accelerate the end of smoking’ was met by respected and even well-intentioned For example, at the last Conference of with gut-punched disappointment by leaders, have been saying since the ‘Frank the Parties, the meetings where implemen- 3 those who have worked for decades to Statement’ of 1954. The long and tation of the treaty is discussed, tobacco achieve that goal. Unmoved by a soft- sordid history of the industry’s funding farmers organised by PMI demonstrated focus video featuring Yach looking of ‘research,’ a major part of the mission outside the venue and PMI representatives pensively off into the distance from a of this new foundation, is replete with met secretly with delegates to the meeting. high-level balcony while smokers at exactly this sort of blithe reassurance, The company hasn’t announced it is ground level stubbed out Marlboros and as Yach himself pointed out in an earlier going to stop promoting cigarettes to kids 4 discussed how hard it was to quit, leading time. In reality, nothing has changed. The in Africa and Asia, has it? No: in fact, tobacco control organisations were ‘research’ really isn’t the point anyway. it’s developing ‘stronger’ products for shocked to hear that the new organisation The mere fact of having landed Yach is some markets, and continuing to aggres- was funded with a $1 billion, twelve-year a major public relations coup for PMI sively promote Marlboro cigarettes to the commitment from tobacco company that will be used to do more of what young through campaigns like ‘Be Marl- copyright. Philip Morris International (PMI). PMI, the industry always does: create doubt, boro.’8–10 Despite decades of developing which has been working for decades to contribute further to existing disputes and then abandoning so-called ‘reduced rebrand itself as a ‘socially responsible’ within the global tobacco control move- harm’ products, cigarettes remain PMI’s company while continuing to promote ment, shore up its own competitive posi- biggest moneymaker, dwarfing anything sales of its top-branded Marlboro ciga- tion, and go on pushing its cigarettes as else. Only the profoundly naïve will rettes and oppose policies that would long as it possibly can.5 believe that PMI is not solely promoting genuinely reduce their use, clearly believes In the video, Yach invites ‘everyone’ to its self-interest in supporting this new

this investment will further its ‘harm join the ‘movement’ this new organisa- ‘foundation’. http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/ reduction’ agenda, led by its new heat-not- tion is starting – implicitly dismissing the In fact, the announcement came the day burn product, IQOS. But don’t worry, the past 40 years of tobacco control activism after a huge win for tobacco control: the Foundation assures everyone that “PMI and advocacy and 60 years of tobacco exclusion of tobacco companies (as well as and the tobacco industry are precluded industry lies and duplicity. Leaders of makers of cluster bombs and some other active existing civil society coalitions unsavoury actors) from membership in the 1Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, like the Framework Convention Alli- United Nations Global Compact, due to University of California, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA 2 ance and the Noncommunicable Disease their incompatibility with responsible busi- University of Sydney, School of Public Health, New Alliance were blindsided. Contrary to ness principles. Tobacco control leaders South Wales, Australia 3Healis - Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health, Navi the video’s claim, there is no shortage of across the globe are convincing govern- Mumbai, India ‘fresh thinking’ in the already-vibrant, ments to protect health policymaking from 4 Health Promotion and Community Health Department, already-existing global movement to end tobacco industry influence, in line with on September 25, 2021 by guest. Protected Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of the tobacco epidemic. There are many Article 5.3 of the FCTC. PMI’s response is Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon 5African Center for Advocacy, Yaounde, Cameroon great ‘endgame’-furthering ideas now a new industry sponsored entity, eager to 6The Research Center of the Tobacco Epidemic, being actively debated, studied, and tried work with governments. From its inception, Montevideo, Uruguay out: the primary obstacle to implementing this organisation will constitute a challenge 7 National Council Against Smoking, Johannesburg, them is the tobacco industry. for Article 5.3 implementation. South Africa 8 PMI hasn’t stopped opposing the poli- The timing of the announcement was Executive Secretary of Action on Smoking and Health Foundation, Thailand cies that would reduce tobacco use, has interesting in another way: just the day 6 9Action on Smoking and Health, Washington, DC, USA it? No: recently leaked documents show before, a new global health initiative led 10OxyRomandie, Geneva, Switzerland that PMI continues to actively oppose any by former US Centres for Disease Control 11Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, Ontario, Canada 12 policy that could genuinely reduce tobacco head Tom Frieden was announced, with Department for Health and UK Centre for Tobacco 7 and Alcohol Studies, University of Bath, Bath, UK use. Countries around the world identify $225 million in funding from Bloomberg the tobacco industry as the single biggest Philanthropies, the Chan Zuckerberg Correspondence to Professor Ruth E Malone, barrier to progress in implementing such Initiative and the Bill & Melinda Gates Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94118, USA; tobacco control policies. This ‘new’ initia- Foundation. While this initiative does not ruth.​ ​malone@ucsf.​ ​edu tive is just more of the same lipstick on the focus solely on tobacco, these funders

Malone RE, et al. Tob Control November 2017 Vol 26 No 6 611 Editorial Tob Control: first published as 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2017-054080 on 24 October 2017. Downloaded from know how much tobacco contributes to Competing interests None declared. 4 Yach D, Bialous SA. Junking science to promote tobacco. Am J Public Health 2001;91:1745–8. disease and death worldwide. Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; 5 McDaniel PA, Smith EA, Malone RE. Philip Morris’s internally peer reviewed. They are also funders who have Project Sunrise: weakening tobacco control by working unequivocally taken positions supporting © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless with it. Tob Control 2006;15:215–23. the strong policy measures that work. otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All 6 Kalra A, Bansal P, Wilson D, et al. Inside Philip Morris’ What is required to end smoking isn’t rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless campaign to subvert the global antismoking treaty. helping the world’s leading cigarette otherwise expressly granted. Reuters Investigates Report. https://www.​reuters.com/​ ​ investigates/special-​ ​report/pmiwho-​ fctc/ (Epub ahead manufacturer in its ongoing image make- of print 13 Jul 2017). over while it continues to try to derail the 7 World Health Organization. Tobacco industry significant public health progress made to interference with tobacco control. Switzerland: World date. What is required is leaders who have Health Organization, 2008. http://​apps.who.​ ​int/iris/​ ​ To cite Malone RE, Chapman S, Gupta PC, et al. bitstream/10665/​ ​83128/1/​ ​9789241597340_eng.​ ​pdf the humility to work with the movement Tob Control 2017;26:611–612. 8 Danubrata E, Chalmers J. Reuters. Philip Morris- and policymakers with the backbones of controlled Sampoerna seeks wider Indonesia reach steel needed to stand up to the industry Tob Control 2017;26:611–612. with stronger cigarettes. http://www.reuters​ .com/​ ​ to enact and implement strong tobacco doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2017-054080 article/us-​ ​hm-sampoerna-​ ​outlook/philipmorris-​ control measures, including high taxes, controlled-sampoerna-seeks-wider-indonesia-reach- with-stronger-cigarettes-idUSKCN0UY1GY (Epub smokefree laws, effective media campaigns References ahead of print 20 Jan 2016). 1 Boseley S. Guardian. Tobacco company launches to denormalize both smoking and tobacco 9 Kalra A, Bansal P, Lasseter T, et al. Reuters Investigates foundation to stub out smoking. https://www.​ Report. Philip Morris takes aim at young people in companies, and marketing, packaging and theguardian.com/​ ​society/2017/​ ​sep/13/​ ​tobacco-​ India, and health officials are fuming. https://www.​ retailing regulations to make these deadly company-launches-​ ​foundation-to-​ ​stub-outsmoking-​ reuters.com/​ ​investigates/specialreport/​ pmi-india/ philip-morris (Epub ahead of print 13 Sep 2017). products less ubiquitous. The global (Epub a head of print 18 Jul 2017). 2 Foundation for a smoke-free world. About us. 2017 movement public health activists built 10 Boseley S. Guardian. Marlboro marketing campaign aimed https://www.smoke-​ ​freeworld.org/​ ​about-us​ over decades of toiling in the trenches at young people, anti-tobacco report says Guardian. 3 Tobacco Industry Research Committee. A frank https://www.​theguardian.​com/​society/​2014/​mar/​12/​ must stand together and not allow PMI to statement to cigarette smokers. 1954;4:86017454 marlboro-​marketing-​campaign-​aimedyoung- people- buy more time by executing a 21 st century https://wwwindustrydocumentslibraryucsfedu/tobacco/ cigarettes-report (Epub ahead of print 12 Mar 2014). version of the ‘Frank Statement.’ docs/zkph0129 copyright. http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/ on September 25, 2021 by guest. Protected

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