Articles

Widespread tobacco agriculture has created many challenges; health risks to the farmers (e.g. green tobacco sickness), irreparable damage to the environment in tobacco-growing countries (e.g. widespread deforestation, vegetation loss, and pollution), and child labour practices. Tobacco companies have used tobacco farming to undermine tobacco control measures around the world, arguing that tobacco control measures destroy the livelihoods of small-scale…

The Tobacco Control Research Group’s monitoring and research of tobacco industry (TI) activity has achieved significant national, international and global policy impacts. As outlined below, some of our most impactful research is that which is triggered by our monitoring findings not least because this ensures the policy relevance of our work. Here are some examples: Plain Packaging and the…

What Is the Problem? Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide. Each year more than 8 million people die from tobacco-related diseases, and of the 1.3 billion smokers 80% live in low- and middle- income countries.39 In February 2005 the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) came into force to help reduce tobacco use globally, and…

The Tobacco Control Research Group (TCRG) regularly presents its research findings at national and international conferences. Recent examples: A. Gilmore, K.A. Evans-Reeves, A. Rowell, et al (2018), Monitoring the vector of the epidemic World Conference on Tobacco or Health, 7-9 March 2018, Cape Town, South Africa Drawing on the TCRG’s experience of systematically monitoring the tobacco…

Hill and Knowlton is a public relations (PR) company, owned by PR and advertising conglomerate WPP. Hill and Knowlton were commissioned by the major tobacco companies of the time in 1953 to regain public confidence in the tobacco industry following the revelation by the medical profession that smoking was damaging to health.45 John W, Hill, Hill…

Alex Deane is a senior managing director at the London office of public relations (PR) firm FTI Consulting, which has a long history of working with the tobacco industry.46 Before joining FTI Consulting, Deane worked for PR firms Weber Shandwick and Bell Pottinger, which both represented tobacco companies. 47 Deane was an elected…

Simon Hart has been the Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire (Wales) since May 2010. Relationship with the Tobacco Industry Accepted Tobacco Hospitality In May 2014, Hart accepted two tickets to the Chelsea Flower show worth £1,404.00 from Japan Tobacco International (JTI).63 For more information on the tobacco industry tactic to offer hospitality…

In February 2014, 453 MPs voted in favour of, and only 24 MPs voted against, tabled amendments to the Children and Families Bill which would enable the UK government to, among other things, introduce regulations requiring plain packaging for tobacco products.717273 Nevertheless, following the January 2015 announcement, the British press reported that 100 Conservative MPs would vote…

Background Angela Harbutt is the campaigns manager for the industry-funded smokers’ group Forest. She managed the Hands Off Our Packs campaign created in response to plain packaging proposals in the UK,96 and the No Thank EU campaign in response to the EU Tobacco Products Directive Revision.97 She is also the Executive…

Background Mark Littlewood is the Director General of the Institute of Economic Affairs. In 2001 he became Campaigns Director for the human rights group Liberty, leaving in 2004 to found NO2ID. From December 2004 to May 2007, he was Head of Media for the Liberal Democrats. In 2007, he co-founded Progressive Vision, ‘a classical liberal think tank’ and…