New Issue Brief: How cessation efforts are undermined by the tobacco industry


The Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control and the African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA), with the support of ENSP, developed a new publication summarising the Big Tobacco’s strategies to undermine evidence-based tobacco control measures, in this case particularly undermining the efforts towards implementation of Article 14 of the WHO FCTC (cessation). This article features the key points highlighted in the Issue Brief and we invite you to read the full publication via GGTC website.

1. The tobacco industry misleads the public about what constitutes cessation strategies by promoting “reduced-risk nicotine products”, including NENTPs, as cessation tools.

2. In the guise of ‘cessation’ or helping smokers quit, the tobacco industry justifies the risks of youth uptake. While it outwardly asserts the importance of regulation to protect the youth, it aggressively markets to the youth, especially through social media.

3.Tobacco industry disparages the effectiveness of evidence-based cessation approaches and mischaracterizes these as ‘Quit or Die’; then claims that failure to recognize NENTPs as cessation tools hampers cessation efforts.

4. By resisting tax increases, the tobacco industry interferes with the governments’ ability to provide accessible and affordable cessation support.

5. By marketing themselves as bearers of “public health solutions” through NENTP marketing, the tobacco companies detract attention from being liable for harms caused by their products. 

6. The tobacco industry confounds the best available evidence of effectiveness by “manipulating science.”

7. By insisting to be part of the policy development directly or indirectly through front groups and tobacco-funded entities, the tobacco companies undermine basic conflict of interest rules found in WHO FCTC Articles 5.3 and 14, and their Guidelines.


Read the full Issue Brief.
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