Partnership for Drug-Free Kids

Abstract Tobacco consumption gets normalized with its positive portrayal through tobacco advertisement, promotions and sponsorship (TAPS) of tobacco products, to initiate or catalyze consumption. While the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003 (COTPA) bans TAPS in India, it is prevalent through social media, cable television, sponsorship of cricket matches, music or award shows, school or college events, etc., and through brand stretching to nontobacco avenues like consumer goods, hotel chains, etc., COTPA shows internal inconsistencies in its short title, preambular aim, and provisions, which carve out an exception for advertising at points of sale. Ban’s implementation is also limited due to the expensive action-taking mechanism and limited fines. These lacunae are further exacerbated by the inconsistencies of COTPA with other laws governing trademarks, cable television, food safety, consumer protection, etc. that allow for the advertisement of cobranded products of tobacco companies. To address TAPS comprehensively in India, these inconsistencies need to be redressed, arguably through legislative amendments in COTPA and allied laws, better implementation mechanisms, simplifying seizure of evidence for presentation in courts, and prioritizing public health over commercial interests of tobacco companies in the judicial pronouncements.

To document the key barriers and facilitators to implementing a WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control-guided tobacco control law in Mexico. We analysed public submissions to the 2022 General Law for Tobacco Control (GLTC) regulations and interviewed 14 key stakeholders. We applied the Policy Dystopia Model and thematic framework analysis to examine the data. Between July and November 2022, 421 public comments (376 in opposition, 38 in favour) were submitted to the GLTC regulations. The top opposing discursive strategies (80.5%) argued the regulations would cause unanticipated costs to the economy, society and public health. The top supporting discursive strategies (50.5%) argued the policy would protect people who do not smoke and save lives, which led to upholding strong regulations. Key barriers to implementation included industry interference, monitoring and evaluation system legal issues, lack of funding and resources, government system coordination issues and a lack in organisational knowledge. The tobacco and restaurant industry and convenience stores filed over 2500 constitutional lawsuits (amparos) throughout Mexico challenging the regulation's legality, which has delayed and undermined enforcement. Key facilitators included government and intergovernmental support, financial mechanisms and health advocacy support, which contributed to education efforts, increased monitoring and technical support to address injunctions. The tobacco industry remains the biggest barrier to implementation, using legal and economic arguments to weaken regulations and shifting venues to the judicial branch to undermine enforcement efforts. Lack of resources and legal delays remain key barriers. Financial and technical support and communicating the economic importance of tobacco control can help uphold strong regulations. More efforts are needed to educate judicial systems to protect policies.

ABSTRACTCountries in the Region of the Americas have been slow to adopt standardized packaging of tobacco products. The objectives of this analysis are to report on the progress made in adopting such packaging in countries in the Region, review known tobacco industry strategies for opposing these policies and discuss the resources available to academics, advocates and policy-makers who might be interested in advancing the use of standardized packaging in the Region. Of the 23 countries worldwide that have fully adopted standardized packaging laws, only 2 are in the Region (Canada and Uruguay). Six other countries (Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico and Panama) have tried to introduce standardized packaging through draft bills, all of which have been delayed or withdrawn. There are indications that the tobacco industry has used its playbook of arguments to oppose the policy in those countries, including allegations that standardized packaging breaches national laws and international treaties protecting intellectual property, alongside threats of litigation. It is possible that these threats and allegations may have had a greater effect in the Region because of the lengthy (6 years) and costly (legal fees of US$ 10 million) international investment arbitration brought by Philip Morris International against Uruguay’s strong tobacco packaging laws. However, all of the industry’s arguments have been debunked, and national courts and international legal forums have upheld standardized packaging as a lawful policy. Governments in the Region of the Americas should follow the examples of Canada and Uruguay and reject the industry’s false arguments and litigation threats. This analysis discusses some of the financial and technical resources that can assist them.

ABSTRACTObjective.To assess progress in and barriers to implementing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS) in Uruguay, which has a complete ban, and Argentina, with a partial ban.Methods.Legislation on TAPS bans in Uruguay and Argentina was reviewed and relevant published literature, news stories, civil society reports and tobacco industry reports retrieved to analyze progress in implementing TAPS bans.Results.In Uruguay, the complete TAPS ban, which includes standardized tobacco packaging, maintains high compliance and severely limits exposure of TAPS, despite a few problems with corporate social responsibility, social media, and transnational advertising. In Argentina, the partial TAPS ban has more problems with compliance and exposure to TAPS. The most important barriers to implementing TAPS bans in both countries are the tobacco companies. In Uruguay, tobacco companies do not comply in a few areas but the complete ban greatly minimizes this. In Argentina, however, tobacco companies can more easily exploit gaps in the partial TAPS ban, such as advertising at the points of sale, promoting contests, and using influencers on social media.Conclusions.The partial TAPS ban in Argentina illustrates the problems with enforcement and the tobacco industry’s ability to exploit loopholes and continue to market their products, especially to young people. A complete TAPS ban, including standardized tobacco packaging, as in Uruguay, is easier to implement and enforce and is effective in reducing exposure to tobacco advertising. Nevertheless, governments should prioritize implementing TAPS bans on social media, which remains a difficult sphere to monitor and allows tobacco companies to continue recruiting and targeting young people.

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Accessed December 8, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/brfs... Google Scholar

Abstract Background: Information on the mortality causes of goldsmith workers in Bangladesh is very limited. This study was conducted to find out the causes of death in this group of population.Methods: The study subject was deceased goldsmith workers where face-to-face interviews were conducted with the family members who were present during the deceased's illness preceding death. A World Health Organization recommended questionnaire was adapted to conduct 20 deceased goldsmith workers' verbal autopsy. Causes of death were determined by reviewing the outcomes of the interviews by the expert physicians.Results: The mean age of the goldsmith workers at death was 59.2 ± 9.3 years. Among the deceased goldsmith workers, 70.0% were smokers, and 50.0% of them were alcohol consumers. Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) were the most common immediate and underlying cause of death (55.0% and 45.0%, respectively). Acute ischemic heart disease was the single most common (30.0%) immediate cause of death among the deceased goldsmith workers, whereas, for underlying causes of death, it was both acute and chronic ischemic heart diseases (35.0%).Conclusions: The life expectancy of goldsmith workers was much lower than the average life expectancy of Bangladesh, where CVD was the common cause of death. Smoking and alcohol consumption were prevalent among the majority of the deceased goldsmith workers. Awareness of healthy lifestyles should be prioritized for a successful CVD control program for this population. Trial registration: Not applicable.

ObjectiveTo assess the return on investment (ROI) of the Florida tobacco control programme, the Bureau of Tobacco Free Florida (BTFF), in terms of healthcare expenditure savings and mortality cost saved as a result of reduced mortality due to the programme from 1999 to 2015.MethodsWe use a synthetic control method to estimate the impact of the BTFF on smoking-attributable mortality, years of life lost (YLL), healthcare expenditures, and the economic value of premature mortality due to smoking in Florida from 1999 through 2015. We calculated an ROI for healthcare expenditures and for the value of life years saved.ResultsFrom 1999 to 2015, adult smoking prevalence in Florida averaged 0.98 percentage points lower than prevalence in the synthetic control states (19.6% vs 20.6%). The ROI over the period from 1999 to 2015 was 9.61 for healthcare expenditures and 112.44 for premature mortality. These ROIs suggest that for every US$1 of expenditure by BTFF, smoking-attributable healthcare expenditures decreased by almost US$11 and reductions in the economic costs associated with YLL due to smoking-attributable mortality totaled approximately US$113.ConclusionsOur results suggest the BTFF resulted in fewer YLL, substantial healthcare cost savings and substantial savings in terms of mortality costs. The positive ROIs for healthcare expenditures and premature mortality suggest that the BTFF is a good investment of public funds.

In November 2014, Beijing People’s Congress adopted the Beijing Smoking Control Ordinance and a key provision bans smoking in all indoor public places, workplaces and on public transport. To ensure effective implementation of the ordinance, the government calls on the whole society to take part. In response, Beijing Tobacco Control Association, with the support of a local technology company, developed the Beijing Tobacco Control Map, a digital system that enables comprehensive tobacco control information collection, data visualisation and mapping. A key component of the Beijing Tobacco Control Map is the Complaint Map which is generated by the data of reported violations of the smoke-free provisions by the general public through a social media platform. The Complaint Map visually displays the reported violations on a map of Beijing in real time. The general public can access the Complaint Map at any time to see which venues and locations have been reported. It is used by tobacco control volunteers, who are recruited and trained to address complaints and promote compliance. It is also used by the government’s enforcement team for targeted inspections. The Complaint Map has effectively engaged the public and promoted a smoke-free Beijing. Beijing’s innovative and systematic approach that involves the Complaint Map, volunteer management, coordination with the enforcement team, and media exposure can be replicated or adapted in other cities in China and abroad that are implementing smoke-free laws or tobacco control laws in general.