International tobacco companies

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International tobacco companies

• David Simpson
• Director, International Agency on Tobacco and
  Health
• Visiting Professor, London School of Hygiene
  Tropical Medicine
• Honorary Fellow, Clinical Trial Service Unit,
  Oxford
• Editor, News Analysis, Tobacco Control journal

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Worlds smokers
From the US Bureau of the Census and World Bank,
Curbing the epidemic Governments and the
economics of tobacco control, 1999.
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Smoking prevalence men
WHO data
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Smoking prevalence women
WHO data
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World tobacco deaths
WHO World Health Report 1999.
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Cumulative tobacco deaths
WHO World Health Report 1999.
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Tobacco addiction is a communicated disease The
vector? Big tobacco
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Trans-national tobacco companies sales (1990)
US billions
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TNC sales developing countries gross domestic
product (GDP)
Philip Morris
BAT
Japan Tobacco
Peru
Bangladesh
Hungary
Sri Lanka
Ghana
Senegal
Kenya
US billions
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BAT(highest paid director)
Annual earnings
IATH (total income)

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The international tobacco industry
Philip Morris PM (holding company now known as
Altria)
Marlboro, Chesterfield, Philip Morris
British American Tobacco BAT (includes
Rothmans)
State Express 555, Lucky Strike, Benson
Hedges, Rothmans
Japan Tobacco International JTI (still
state-controlled former JT non-US business of
RJR Reynolds)
Mild Seven, Salem
also Altadis (France/Spain, formerly SEITA
Tabacalera) Imperial (UK), incl. Reemtsma
(Germany) ITC India (part-BAT) Monopolies,
e.g. Tekel (Turkey), Sampoerna (Indonesia), etc
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A brief tobacco industry history of the tobacco
epidemic
1940s 50s 1960s 70s 1980s 1990s 2000-
2003
- scientific evidence forces health-related
scientific research
- development of government health policy -
industry scientists lose power to marketing
executives
- expand international activities - use toxic
reduction health policy as hostage to preserve
advertising
- litigation increases - Minnesota case
releases millions of papers - health advocacy
increases
- Weve changed! programmes, e.g. BATs Social
reports - FCTC process puts tobacco on health
agenda worldwide - continue to expand markets
as fast as possible
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Two unique aspects of the tobacco industry
The product highly addictive very
dangerous, at any level of consumption largest
cause of disease, disability premature death
The people self-selected group, not concerned
by scientific evidence of diseases caused by
tobacco
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One simple truth about the tobacco industry
The companies will always fight every effective
health policy measure
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(No Transcript)
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Senegal
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Cape Times, South Africa, Oct 1993
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Trinidad, 1998
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Uganda, Tanzania Kenya, Dec 2001
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- We dont want kids to smoke- global ad
code (self-regulation)- Let us back into the
scientific community- community aid
programmes
Tobacco industry Weve changed strategy
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Tobacco industry Weve changed strategyWe
dont want kids to smoke
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Industry Youth Prevention programmes

• public relations strategy improve image
• proactive - industry avoids ad bans
• programme says little on dangers of tobacco
• programmes shown to be ineffective
• - adult activity - may encourage kids to smoke

• DiFranza J McAfee T. The Tobacco Institute
  Helping youth to say yes to tobacco.
• J Fam Prac 1992,34(6)

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The youth program... supports the Tobacco
Institutes objective of discouraging unfair...
federal, state and local restrictions on
cigarette advertising, by...

• US Tob. Inst. 1/1991

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• Reinforcing the belief that peer pressure - not
  advertising - is the cause of youth smoking.

US Tob. Inst. 1/1991
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• Reinforcing the belief that peer pressure - not
  advertising - is the cause of youth smoking.
• Seizing the political center and forcing the
  antismokers to an extreme

US Tob. Inst. 1/1991
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The strategy is fairly simple 1. Heavily
promote industry opposition to youth smoking.

• US Tob. Inst. 1/1991

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The strategy is fairly simple1. Heavily
promote industry opposition to youth
smoking.2. Align industry with broader, more
sophisticated view of the problem - that is,
parental inability to offset peer pressure.

• US Tob. Inst. 1/1991

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The strategy is fairly simple 1. Heavily
promote industry opposition to youth
smoking.2. Align industry with broader, more
sophisticated view of the problem - that is,
parental inability to offset peer pressure.
3. Work with and through credible child welfare
professionals and educators to tackle the
problem.

• US Tob. Inst. 1/1991

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The strategy is fairly simple 1. Heavily
promote industry opposition to youth
smoking.2. Align industry with broader, more
sophisticated view of the problem - that is,
parental inability to offset peer pressure.
3. Work with and through credible child welfare
professionals and educators to tackle the
problem. 4. Bait anti-tobacco forces to
criticise industry efforts.

• US Tob. Inst. 1/1991

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Industry youth programmes Uzbekistan
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Industry youth programmes Middle East
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Tobacco industry Weve changed
strategyglobal advertising code
(self-regulation)
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Tobacco industry global advertising code - a
Wall Street analysts view

• We have analyzed the 9-page agreement and
  believe that the multinationals' strategy is
  proactive and is a way to improve their image.
• - Herzog B, Credit Suisse , investors briefing.
• Oct 01

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Tobacco industry Weve changed strategyLet
us back into science
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- make health policy dependent on tobacco-
split the scientific community- tie up
research resources on non-tobacco topics-
corporate blackmail against legislation
Tobacco industry Weve changed strategy Let
us back into science
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Tobacco industrys science programmes - a
note from Pakistan
We all decided not to accept the tobacco company
money in the end now trying to find alternate
source of funding Some time I feel
isolated in Pakistan when I give my strong
feelings against the tobacco.. IATH Contact,
Karachi, Nov 01
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Botswana
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Senegal, May 1998
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Philippines, 1995
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Pakistan, May 2000
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(No Transcript)
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IATHs Contacts / Countries
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1991
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2002
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International Agency on Tobacco and Health
(IATH) Contacts e-mail web access, Nov 2001