Tobacco companies have an overwhelming commercial interest in opposing effective tobacco control policies and a long history of attempting to disrupt policies that would protect citizens from the harms their products cause. They have made misleading or false assertions, lobbied and influenced decision-makers, manipulated research “evidence”, undermined independent researchers, and developed alliances by creating or cultivating front-groups to promote their goals.
These tactics have been well-documented in the US and recent studies report on-going interference by tobacco companies as they attempt to disrupt the introduction and implementation of new policies.
By Janet Hoek, Richard Edwards and Andrew Waa for PHCC