Shock at Rylander Appointment Japan, India
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323 News analysis....................................................................................... Tob Control: first published as on 24 November 2004. Downloaded from As to how the appointment could ever public places. In a letter about the European Union: shock have happened, one answer may lie in vehicles to the British Medical Journal, that familiar problem whereby those Professor Hiroshi Kawane from the at Rylander guarding the corridors of power have Japanese Red Cross Hiroshima College appointment little detailed knowledge of what goes of Nursing shrewdly observed, ‘‘I think Almost anyone toiling at the coal face of on outside in the real world, and most second-hand smoke combined with tobacco control knows the name of important, fail to consult those who do. exhaust fumes from SmoCar has Ragnar Rylander, and for the most It can only be hoped that this time, become a health hazard for non- alarming of reasons. Therefore, how some hard lessons will be learned. With smokers in the vicinity of the car’’. could the Swedish scientist have been millions of tobacco industry documents Meanwhile, something similar has appointed to the Scientific Committee now available—including, incidentally, appeared in India. Godfrey Phillips, on Health and Environmental Risks of over 16 000 relating to Rylander—and Indian subsidiary of Philip Morris, the European Commission, the secret- communication between health advo- launched a similar mobile smoking ariat of the European Union? How could cates around the world easier and lounge in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), advisers to Health Commissioner David quicker than in anyone’s wildest dreams which was parked at various landmark Byrne, renowned for his strong leader- just a decade ago, it now takes only sites for a few days each, followed by ship on tobacco control, have failed to moments to check out the credentials of appearances in Ahmedabad, Delhi, and note the widespread publicity given to almost all individuals being considered Baroda. While apparently more inspired Rylander over recent years? This was for such posts, especially when their by function than the stylish design of especially notorious in the period when credentials are unclear. If only they had the Smocar, they are scheduled to be he was first exposed for his longstand- just asked… taken to several southern Indian cities ing, covert association with Philip over the next few months. The vehicles Morris, then his defamation case display statutory health warnings and against his detractors, and finally their Japan, India: mobile smokers are allowed to use them for 15– successful appeal. smoking vans 20 minutes. Entry is free and people After that, one would have thought using them can smoke their own cigar- Japan Tobacco (JT) has launched http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/ he might have quietly retired, say to a ettes or buy them inside the van, along mobile trailers called Smocars for smo- with soft drinks. remote Swedish lakeside retreat, to kers to smoke in even when it is not contemplate his years of secret service allowed in public places. Based on the to the corporate corruptors of the classic Airstream holiday caravan from Brazil: growers’ lobby scientific literature, especially on passive the USA, Smocars have been spotted at smoking. Instead, Rylander not only put locations throughout Japan over the stalls FCTC himself forward for appointment, but past year. JT says it has developed them Brazil played a major leadership role robustly denied any wrongdoing when as part of its initiative for ‘‘increased co- during the negotiations of the World health agencies began a campaign of existence between smokers and non- Health Organization’s Framework protest letters to Commissioner Byrne smokers in public spaces’’. At last Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO last July. He even tried to telephone winter’s Sapporo Snow Festival, where FCTC). Since the mid 1990s, the coun- some of those behind the campaign, the Smocar was just one part of a large try’s national tobacco control policy has on October 2, 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. apparently unable to understand that JT presence, children taken into the car gained impetus, and the latest house- the appeal court judgement mentioning were given free soft drinks. More hold based survey shows that regular his ‘‘scientific cheating without equal’’ usually, Smocar is parked in areas such adult (15+) smoking is declining, with and his lack of hesitation to ‘‘abuse as Tokyo’s Chiyoda ward, which has an current overall prevalence estimated at science in the interests of capitalistic unusually tough ban on smoking in 19%. Brazil signed the WHO FCTC in profit’’, might be fair cause for their concern. The result of the appointment, when the news became known among health groups around the world, was a barrage of protest letters to Commissioner Byrne, and presumably, some fairly red faces in Brussels. The wheels of bureau- cracy creaked into action to investigate the appointment, and in October, the EU Commission adopted a decision to revoke it. All articles written by David Simpson unless otherwise attributed. Ideas and items for News Analysis should be sent to: [email protected] A mobile smoking van, Smocar, providing a place for smokers in Japan to smoke. Children are also allowed into the van, and given soft drinks. www.tobaccocontrol.com 324 News analysis June 2003 and despite its significant Agriculture, Health, Foreign Affairs, and tobacco growing, manufacture, and Commerce. It also scheduled meetings exports, it was expected to ratify. with the governors of tobacco growing However, ratification is proving to be a states. In September, members of an Tob Control: first published as on 24 November 2004. Downloaded from bumpier road to travel. Afubra delegation at a technical In May 2004, Congress approved exchange meeting in China praised their FCTC ratification, with the text being hosts for not worrying about ‘‘anti- sent to the Senate’s external affairs tobacco’’ campaigns. According to committee for consideration and Afubra’s president, Chinese officials approval, but a move to give it priority asked him to intervene with the was halted at the request of a Senator Brazilian Embassy, to ensure that who represents the southern region Brazil did not ratify, given that China where the majority of Brazil’s tobacco ‘‘will not ratify this document’’. is grown. He said his request was based When the Senate public hearing took on the desire to carefully consider the place in September, with only one situation of the growers. It was made week’s notice and reportedly fixed at after he met officials of Afubra, the the request of the tobacco lobby, six Brazilian member (and one of the invited speakers argued for ratification, founders) of the International Tobacco and six against. Despite the efforts of Growers Association, whose links with government and non-governmental the multinational tobacco companies groups to make clear that ratification are well established. would not mean an immediate end to Size does matter: two brands of cigarettes It was then announced that the tobacco production, and a very strong manufactured by BAT, one sold in the UK with Senate would call for a public hearing statement by the Minister of Health large warnings, the other sold in Uganda with ‘‘tiny, inconspicuous’’ warnings. on the matter, but in the meantime at the hearings, ratification was post- Afubra launched a survey on its website, poned without a new date being set which asked for people’s opinion on for reconsideration by the Senate. the pack, have far more arresting warn- ‘‘WHO’s proposal to eradicate tobacco’’. According to media reports, the out- ings than the minute one on the side of Interestingly, 41.5% of initial respon- come of the public hearing was known a 20 pack of Embassy purchased in dents were in favour, with only 34.5% before it took place, and the industry Uganda. To mark World No Tobacco Day against; 15.2% suggested viable alter- side spoke of the need to ‘‘educate’’ and to highlight the lack of controls over natives should be found, and 4% advo- policymakers. BAT’s operations, Kevin O’Connor, a journalist and athletics coach resident cated consensus through dialogue. It is Public health professionals and others http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/ unclear whether such a favourable pressing for ratification in other tobacco in Uganda, used pictures of the packs in response can be attributed to tobacco growing countries need to be prepared his weekly column in a leading East control advocates’ voting on the site, as for how the industry will use scare African newspaper, The Sunday Monitor. part of their efforts to support ratifica- tactics and misrepresent the impact of Commenting on a preview of the pic- tion. the WHO FCTC on short and medium tures, the country’s director general of Afubra has run ads and generated term tobacco production. The tobacco health, Professor Francis Omaswa, press reports of its arguments in regio- lobby’s emphasis on the families that referred to the ‘‘shock’’ he felt when nal and national news media. With few depend on tobacco, on the ‘‘immediate’’ comparing the UK pack warning with exceptions, coverage of the WHO FCTC end of all growing and production, the the ‘‘tiny, inconspicuous’’ warnings on has repeated the line taken by majority supposed call for tobacco ‘‘eradication’’ Ugandan packs. And as O’Connor manufacturer Souza Cruz, Brazilian and the major economic loss and social pointed out, the UK warnings are far from the world’s best, with another subsidiary of British American Tobacco, unrest that would follow ratification, on October 2, 2021 by guest. Protected copyright. and Afubra itself. In addition to empha- although completely unsubstantiated, developing country, Brazil, boasting sising the economic benefits of tobacco, grabbed the headlines in Brazil, and large, graphic pack warnings (see the arguments have ranged from the was effective in postponing the discus- Tobacco Control 2004;13:216).