Taking Action for International Day of Zero Waste

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March 30th is the International Day of Zero Waste, to draw attention to the lack of sustainability in the way the world currently works. While we may differ on solutions, there is no longer doubt that we can’t keep going like this indefinitely. We are poisoning our planet and thereby poisoning ourselves. If we don’t do something about it, nature surely will, and that won’t go well for humans.

The aspiration in combatting environmental harm is, of course, to get to a place of sustainability as quickly as possible and with the least disruption and the least cost. That will be hard overall, and likely require some painful choices. But it’s not all hard. There is waste that results from products that do nothing positive for humanity, and in fact are one of the biggest blights in the history of humanity. You already know I’m talking about tobacco.

Tobacco butts are the number one source of trash, and the number one source of plastic trash. The cigarettes they were attached to are the number one cause of avoidable death, taking over eight million lives a year. An estimated 4.5 trillion butts enter the environment every year. If placed end-to-end, that would circle the Earth three times, and if that were possible it would be a far better place for them than being blown and washed into our waterways and soil.

Getting rid of cigarettes permanently would be a huge step in addressing our climate pressures, while saving hundreds of millions of lives over the coming decades.

And that’s just cigarettes.

The number of vaping devices tossed into the environment is growing dramatically every year. And vapes bring the added environmental threat of batteries imbedded in the plastic. Tossing them in the garbage is little better. Vapes in the refuse stream are responsible for thousands of fires every year, as well as injury and even death to sanitation workers.

We can’t clean up or recycle our way out of this.

There is no way to collect even a tiny fraction of cigarette butts or discarded vapes. Even if we could, what then? We’d have mountains of toxic, non-biodegradable, non-recyclable refuse. Separating the batteries in vapes is difficult, dangerous, and costly, and there’s not much that can be done with the plastic. It is a myth that all plastic is endlessly recyclable.

There is no “downstream” solution to the tobacco product waste problem. Our only option is to ban the sale of the products.

This should be a no-brainer. If we’re not willing to give up commercial tobacco products to save our planet, what would we be willing to do?

 

Make a donation today to help ASH end the harm caused by tobacco products on our health and our environment.

Renewed Momentum on Tobacco Endgame

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Stoneham and Wakeham become the second and third towns in Massachusetts to pass Nicotine-Free Generation

In February 2024, the quest to end the tobacco epidemic suffered a blow when the new government in New Zealand rescinded their world-beating endgame law. But before the doors closed, the endgame horse had already escaped the barn. New Zealand caught the imagination of the world, and it is paying off.

On March 26, 2024, Stoneham became the second town in Massachusetts to pass a Nicotine-Free Generation (NFG) law. No one born after 2003 can ever be legally sold tobacco in Stoneham. This is the first town to do so after the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court unanimously upheld a similar law in Brookline on March 16, 2024.

On March 27, 2024, Wakeham, MA passed the same law. Two in two days.

Three towns might not seem like much, but history raises our optimism. In the early days of the smokefree indoor air movement two decades ago, it was not long after the first town in Massachusetts passed a law banning smoking in all indoor public and workplaces before 217 other towns joined them. That prompted the state to act.

We hope, and expect a similar landslide now. Several other towns have already held or scheduled hearings on NFG. Expect the third domino in days or weeks, not months.

Since the New Zealand news, we’ve had another bright ray of light.

On March 20, 2024, a Smoke-Free Generation (SFG) law was introduced in the United Kingdom Parliament. SFG is a similar birthdate-based law that focuses on combustibles. If passed, it will ban sales to anyone born after 2008. And it looks likely to pass – both major parties and King Charles have endorsed the move.

The initial momentum of the tobacco endgame in Beverly Hills and Manhattan Beach, California was curtailed when COVID hit and captured the attention of the public health community. But it seems we are on the cusp of a new normal in the fight against tobacco.

News Alert: EU Due Diligence Law Approved by European Governments

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Exciting news from Europe: the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive has been approved by a qualified majority of EU governments!

This is a significant step towards protecting human rights and the environment from harm from big corporations, like the tobacco industry.

ASH has been monitoring and engaging in this process for several years.

In February 2021, ASH and a group of our tobacco control colleagues, including Smoke Free Partnership and Unfairtobacco, led by the Belgian Alliance for a Smoke Free Society, submitted input for the public consultation by the European Commission on mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence.

FAQs on the World Health Organization (WHO) Tobacco Treaty

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What is the WHO Tobacco Treaty (i.e. the FCTC)?

The World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) is a treaty that was formally negotiated by all Member States of the United Nations under the auspices of the World Health Organization, a subsidiary body of the United Nations, through consensus and adopted as an agreement between countries.

The FCTC was negotiated from 2000 to 2003. After negotiations were finalized, it was unanimously adopted by the World Health Assembly (the decision-making body of the WHO) in May 2003. The FCTC came into force (i.e., became legally binding to the countries that joined it) in February 2005, 90 days after the fortieth nation ratified (i.e. gave formal consent to become a Party to the treaty).

Currently, the FCTC has been joined by 183 Parties (182 countries and the European Union which has joined as a regional block). The United States has not joined.

 

How is the FCTC governed?

The FCTC is governed by the Conference of the Parties (COP), which consists of all Parties (i.e., those that have joined the treaty via ratification or accession). The COP convenes every other year. The COP meetings are numbered; for example, the most recent was COP10.

Countries like the U.S., who have signed but not ratified the FCTC, as well as inter-governmental organizations such as the World Bank can attend the COP as non-voting Observers. The COP can grant Observer status to civil society organizations. Action on Smoking and Health was granted Observer status and can attend COP as a non-voting Observer.

 

How are the FCTC Guidelines developed and used?

FCTC Guidelines have been developed through wide consultative and intergovernmental processes and adopted by consensus during COP. The Guidelines developed to date provide evidence-based direction and help Parties meet their legal obligations under the FCTC.

While we are lucky to have evidence-based Guidelines, it is important to remember they are not merely technical documents; they are documents developed and adopted through intense international negotiations and agreement.

A key example of FCTC Guidelines often used by ASH are the Guidelines for Implementation of Article 5.3.

Principle 1: There is a fundamental and irreconcilable conflict between the tobacco industry’s interests and public health policy interests.

The tobacco industry produces and promotes a product that has been proven scientifically to be addictive, to cause disease and death and to give rise to a variety of social ills, including increased poverty. Therefore, Parties should protect the formulation and implementation of public health policies for tobacco control from the tobacco industry to the greatest extent possible.”

ASH quotes Principle 1 of the Article 5.3 Guidelines in countless advocacy documents, in particular our U.S. Tobacco Industry Interference Index and our U.S. Tobacco Industry Lobbying and Lobbying Firm Registration Tracker, both of which call on policymakers to avoid interactions with the tobacco industry when implementing public health policy.

 

How are FCTC COP Decisions reached and used?

FCTC COP formal Decisions are negotiated at each COP. The Decisions provide direction to FCTC Parties on how to implement best practices in tobacco control and give a mandate to the FCTC Secretariat on work to be done between COPs.

Advocates around the world use COP Decisions to encourage Parties to take action to strengthen their tobacco control policies.

Key Decisions from COP10 include:

 

What is the purpose of FCTC COP Declarations?

Declarations are a final visionary, motivational, summary statement that is adopted at the end of most COPs. The Declaration drafting process is often led by and named for the host country of that COP.

The goal of a Declaration is to link the outcomes of that COP with other UN mechanisms and processes while providing forward looking appeals for Parties.

 

What is the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade (the Protocol or ITP) in Tobacco Products?

The Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products (the Protocol) is a separate treaty negotiated by countries that are Parties to the FCTC. Only countries that have ratified the FCTC can ratify the Protocol.

The Protocol was negotiated over several years, and the treaty text was finished (i.e. adopted) in November 2012. The Protocol was opened for FCTC Parties to sign and ratify on January 10, 2013. The Protocol entered into force on September 25, 2018.

The Protocol is legally binding for all its Parties.

Just as the FCTC is governed by the COP, the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products is governed by the Meeting of the Parties (MOP) which is made up of all Parties to the Protocol. The MOP meets immediately after each COP.

Protecting Women’s Rights | International Women’s Day

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Reproductive rights. Protection from gender-based violence. Maternity leave. Workplace discrimination.  These are the topics that usually come to mind when one thinks about women’s rights. But one important protection is often left off of the list – tobacco control.

Tobacco negatively impacts women in myriad ways. A few examples include:

Women’s Health

In the last 50 years, a woman’s risk of dying from smoking has more than tripled and is now equal to men’s risk. Smoking puts women at risk for: heart attacks; strokes; lung cancer; emphysema; reproductive issues; and other serious chronic illnesses such as diabetes. Between 1959 and 2010, lung cancer risk for smokers rose dramatically. While men’s risk doubled, the risk among female smokers increased nearly ten-fold. Today, more women die from lung cancer than breast cancer.[1]

Secondhand Smoke

Globally, women are still the main victims of secondhand smoke, and more women than men are harmed or die from secondhand smoke.  In fact, “In women, the disease burden from secondhand smoke exposure is equal to or even exceeds that from firsthand tobacco use.”[2]

Development

Tobacco is very expensive for the user and their partner or family. World Bank studies of household disposable income estimate that approximately 10% of income in the poorest households containing at least one smoker goes to tobacco.[3] Smoking increases the likelihood of falling into poverty.

 

ASH works to ensure that tobacco control is included in the women’s rights and human rights agenda- and vice versa.

Thank you for your support as we continue our efforts to break down silos and work towards a tobacco-free world for everyone. You can make a donation today to support our work here>

Donate Now

 

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/50th-anniversary/pdfs/fs_women_smoking_508.pdf

[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016041202200068X

[3] Mentis AA. Social determinants of tobacco use: towards an equity lens approach. Tob Prev Cessat. 2017;3:7. Published 2017 Mar 2. doi:10.18332/tpc/68836

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Upholds Tobacco-Free Generation Law

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Media Contact:
Megan Manning
ManningM@ash.org
(202) 390 – 9513

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Upholds Tobacco-Free Generation Law
Brookline has banned the sale of tobacco to anyone born this century

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 8, 2024 – In a decision that is likely to spur similar laws in other towns, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court today upheld a law in the town of Brookline that bans the sale of tobacco products to anyone born on or after January 1, 2000. The gradual phase-out of tobacco sales based on birthdate is often called Tobacco-Free Generation (TFG). The law forbids only commercial sales, not the purchase, possession, or use of tobacco, meaning the act of smoking is not criminalized.

Read the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision here>

“This is an important day for myself, my family, my neighbors, and my state,” said Katharine Silbaugh, a Brookline resident who co-sponsored the law. “This decision secures the right of Massachusetts towns to protect their residents’ health by phasing out the sale of tobacco.” Ms. Silbaugh is also a professor of law at Boston University.

Brookline’s Tobacco-Free Generation law was first passed at a town meeting on November 17, 2020. Before passing the law, Brookline sought an opinion from then-Attorney General – and now Governor – Maura Healey, who concluded that the policy was not preempted by state law. The law has remained in force during litigation, and people 23 years of age or younger cannot be sold tobacco in Brookline. The Public Health Advocacy Institute at the Northeastern University School of Law provided legal counsel to Brookline pro bono.

The lawsuit leading to today’s decision was brought by a pair of retailers in Brookline, who argued that the policy is preempted by state law, despite the existing legal opinion saying the opposite. The original case was thrown out on a motion to dismiss, and the plaintiffs appealed to the state supreme court.

“This is a watershed moment in the history of the tobacco wars,” said Laurent Huber, Executive Director of Action on Smoking and Health, an advocacy group that six years ago launched Project Sunset, a global campaign to phase out the sale of commercial tobacco products. “It signals that we’ve moved from mitigating the death and disease from tobacco to ending it.”

Tobacco remains the biggest cause of preventable death in the U.S. and the world. Nearly half a million Americans die from tobacco each year. It also costs the U.S. more than $300 billion annually in health care costs and lost productivity.

About 70% of people who smoke want to quit and wish they hadn’t started. Nearly all hope their children don’t become addicted. Nicotine is one of the most addictive chemicals known to science, and most adults who smoke became addicted as children.

Brookline has a history of being on the cutting edge of policies to fight tobacco. It was the first town in Massachusetts to ban smoking in bars and restaurants, and among the first to ban all flavors in tobacco products, including menthol. Massachusetts was also the first state to ban all flavors in tobacco products.

Two cities in California – Beverly Hills and Manhattan Beach – have banned tobacco sales altogether, and Dolgeville, New York and Bloomington and Little Canada, Minnesota have laws phasing out tobacco retail licenses. Three Massachusetts towns held hearings on a possible Tobacco-Free Generation law in November 2023. Great Britain’s parliament is also considering a Tobacco-Free Generation law.

The Tobacco Endgame movement is here and will no doubt save countless lives by accelerating the end of the tobacco epidemic.

 

ACTION ON SMOKING AND HEALTH
Founded in 1967, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) is America’s oldest anti-tobacco organization, dedicated to a world with ZERO tobacco deaths. Because tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, ASH supports bold solutions proportionate to the magnitude of the problem. ash.org

FCTC COP10: Article 19 (Liability) Decision

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The tenth Conference of the Parties (COP 10) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) adopted a series of key Decisions including FCTC/COP10(13) Implementation of Article 19 of the WHO FCTC: Liability.

Read the COP10 Decision on Article 19 (Liability)

ASH is a proud supporter of this Decision adopted by the COP, the governing body of the Framework Tobacco Control, composed of 184 Parties (183 countries and the European Union).

The Decision recalls numerous other FCTC COP Decisions around Liability and acknowledges that issues relating to liability, as determined by each Party within its jurisdiction, are an important part of comprehensive tobacco control.

Key Elements of the COP10 Article 19/Liability Decision:

The Decision calls on three different groups:

Urges Parties:

(a) to hold businesses liable

(b) to require accountability and transparency;

(c) to consider strengthening liability regimes,

(d) to establish and apply, effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions

(e) to exchange information on liability of the tobacco industry,

(f) to ensure policy coherence- international and regional organizations, as well as among non-State actors, particularly those working on Sustainable Development Goals and noncommunicable diseases, and on the environmental agenda;

(g) to call upon international and regional organizations in which Parties are represented to ensure that the work supports tobacco control and does not undermine it;

(h) to closely monitor transactions, that could interfere with and undermine public health policy;

Re-establishes an Expert Group on Liability

(i) to review and collect information to strengthen their criminal and civil liability regimes

(ii) to provide options for Parties to detect and counter tobacco industry efforts to evade applicable liability regimes or to undermine tobacco control, including through corporate reorganization or investments;

(iii) to to support Parties in collecting evidence to be used in tobacco-related litigation;

(iv) to report on its work at the Eleventh session of the Conference of the Parties;

Requests the Convention Secretariat:

(a) to set out the terms of reference of the expert group in accordance with the above mandate and to facilitate the establishment of the expert group, to be composed of:

(i) up to 12 members, with appropriate technical experience and ensuring regional balance; and

(ii) up to two observers with relevant expertise that represent civil society organizations that are accredited observers to the COP;

(b) to make the necessary arrangements, including budgetary arrangements, for the expert group to complete its work

5. FURTHER REQUESTS the Convention Secretariat:

(a) to continue to raise awareness about Article 19 of the WHO FCTC and the tools available for Parties to strengthen its implementation;

(b) to participate in global fora to promote policy coherence between tobacco industry liability and the development of international law in relation to the environment, human rights and regulation of business conduct;

(c) to include an item on liability in the provisional agenda for each regular session of the Conference of Parties

Next Steps

  • Civil society can support and engage in the Expert Group
  • Civil society can also spread awareness around Article 19 and the Expert Group.

ASH is a longtime leader in advocating for and participating in legal action against the tobacco industry and the positive contribution of the WHO FCTC to advancing tobacco control goals.

 

Contact the ASH Team with any additional questions at info@ash.org.

FCTC COP10: Article 2.1 Decision (Forward Looking Measures)

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The Tenth Conference of the Parties (COP 10) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) adopted a series of key Decisions including a decision entitled “Forward-looking tobacco control measures (in relation to Article 2.1 of the WHO FCTC)” that addresses innovative policies aimed at ending the tobacco epidemic.

Read the COP10 Decision on Article 2.1

ASH is a proud supporter of this Decision and was honored to be asked by the sponsor – Canada – to present on the topic at the official side event.

Article 2.1 calls on Parties to go beyond the specific obligations of the FCTC and was included in the original treaty to ensure that these obligations were seen as a floor and not a ceiling, and to protect national laws that go beyond those minimum measures. It was also an acknowledgement that the FCTC was negotiated at the turn of the century and employed best practices, a standard that would surely evolve over time. ASH and Project Sunset have pointed to Article 2.1 as the “endgame article” for years.

Several countries objected to the draft Article 2.1 Decision, but the vast majority stepped forward to support. This is a reflection of the change in attitudes toward the tobacco epidemic over the past 20 years, from a paradigm of mitigating the tobacco epidemic to implementing policies aimed at ending it. There was also universal support from civil society organizations.

Key Elements of the COP10 Article 18 Decision:

DECIDES:

(a) to establish an expert group on tobacco control measures that are forward-looking and could be contemplated within the scope of Article 2.1 of the WHO FCTC;

(b) to mandate the expert group:

(i) to identify and describe forward-looking tobacco control measures and measures that expand or intensify approaches to tobacco control as they apply to tobacco products, and that may be contemplated by the expert group within the scope of Article 2.1, taking into account the Guidelines for implementation of the WHO FCTC;

(ii) to consider, in conducting its research and elaborating its findings, Party experience and published literature, as well as any other source of information that it may find appropriate, and properly reference all sources; and

(iii) to prepare a report to be submitted to the Eleventh session of the COP on the above matters;

REQUESTS the Convention Secretariat:

(a) under the guidance of the Bureau, to set out the terms of reference of the expert group in accordance with the above mandate and to facilitate the establishment of the expert group, to be composed of:

(i) up to 12 members, with appropriate technical experience relevant to the mandate of the expert group and ensuring regional balance to as great an extent as possible; and

(ii) up to two observers with relevant expertise that represent civil society organizations that are accredited observers to the COP;

(b) to invite the Knowledge Hubs to provide relevant information to the expert group;

(c) to invite the World Health Organization to provide technical support to the expert group;

(d) to make the necessary arrangements, including budgetary arrangements, for the expert group to complete its work using electronic means of communication to as great an extent as possible.

 

Next Steps:

The FCTC Bureau, in consultation with the FCTC Secretariat, is charged with creating the expert group on “forward-looking measures” and to set out the terms of reference.

It will be critical to ensure that the 12 expert group members are chosen for their expertise and vision.

The tobacco industry will surely push to include allies that will fight against including strong policies.

ASH will work with the Bureau, the Project Sunset steering committees, FCTC Knowledge Hubs, the Secretariat, civil society organizations, and allied governments to ensure that the report submitted to COP11 is a blueprint for ending the tobacco epidemic and a refutation of a “business as usual” attitude.

 

Contact the ASH Team with any additional questions at info@ash.org.

FCTC COP10: Human Rights Decision

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The tenth Conference of the Parties (COP 10) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) adopted a series of key Decisions including Decision FCTC/COP10(20) Contribution of the WHO FCTC to the promotion and fulfillment of human rights.

Read the COP10 Decision on Human Rights

ASH is a proud supporter of this Decision adopted by the COP, the governing body of the Framework Tobacco Control, composed of 184 Parties (183 countries and the European Union).

The Decision encourages alignment with UN Human Rights Mechanisms and “requests the Convention Secretariat to foster coordination and collaboration with entities in the United Nations system pursuing human rights mandates in order to raise awareness of the importance of the WHO FCTC implementation in the fulfilment of human rights.” The Secretariat will report back on Human Rights at COP 11.

Key Elements of the COP10 Human Rights Decision:

  • This Decision on human rights cements the connection between human rights and tobacco control.
  • The Decision recalls numerous international human rights instruments including:
    • The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
    • The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
    • The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
    • The Convention on the Rights of the Child
  • The Decision also recalls other international instruments, such as:
    • The Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization
    • United Nations General Assembly Resolution 72/245
    • The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
  • The Decision also points to several articles of the FCTC and previous FCTC Decisions, including:
    • Article 2.1 – forward looking measures (tobacco endgame),
    • Article 5.3 – protecting public health policy from tobacco industry interference,
    • Decision FCTC/COP7(26) concerning international cooperation for implementation of the WHO FCTC, including on human rights,
    • Decision FCTC/COP7(29), which re-emphasized that the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being,
    • The Guidelines for implementation of Articles 8 (100% smoke-free environments) and 12 (strengthening public awareness of tobacco control issues) of WHO FCTC.


Next Steps: How to Connect the WHO FCTC with Human Rights Mechanisms

  • The Human Rights Decision will help to ensure whole of government approaches to tobacco control regulations and human rights, building on this Decision.
    • In particular, this Decision can be used to highlight the contribution that the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control can make to the goals of numerous mechanisms with UN mandates including the Human Rights Council, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and other mechanisms such as the UN Summit for the Future.
  • There are two major elements to the Decision. Civil society can support both when working within human rights mechanisms and with the FCTC Secretariat. The decision:
    • “ENCOURAGES Parties to consider including WHO FCTC principles and implementation efforts when engaging with the United Nations human rights mechanisms;
    • REQUESTS the Convention Secretariat to foster coordination and collaboration with entities in the United Nations system pursuing human rights mandates in order to raise awareness of the importance of the WHO FCTC implementation in the fulfilment of human rights.”

 

ASH is a longtime leader in highlighting the negative human rights impacts of the tobacco industry and the positive contribution of the WHO FCTC to advancing human rights goals.  Visit our Tobacco and Human Rights Resource Hub here>


Contact the ASH Team with any additional questions at 
info@ash.org.

FCTC COP10: Article 18 (Environment) Decision

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The tenth Conference of the Parties (COP 10) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) adopted a series of key Decisions including a decision entitled “Implementation of Article 18 of the WHO FCTC” that addresses the “environmental concerns associated with tobacco.”

Read the COP10 Decision on Article 18 (Environment)

ASH is a proud supporter of this Decision adopted by a UN body composed of 184 Parties (183 countries and the European Union). The broad global support from the COP10 Article 18 (Environment) Decision clarifies the environmental impact of tobacco products throughout their entire life cycle, calls on countries to take action to address the environmental impacts of tobacco products, and calls on increased cooperation between the FCTC and environmental mechanisms.

As Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UN Environmental Programme stated in her opening statement to COP 10, there is a need for increased collaboration between FCTC and UN environmental agendas. This COP10 Decision reaffirms the negative impact of tobacco products and reminds us that tobacco and the FCTC must be taken into consideration when working on the global environmental agenda, including the negotiations of the UN Treaty to End Plastic Pollution.

Key Elements of the COP10 Article 18 Decision:

  • Recognizes “that plastic cigarette filters are unnecessary, avoidable and problematic, single-use plastics that are widely spread in the environment, killing microorganisms and marine life, as well as polluting oceans;” 
  • Points to “the pollution of soil and water resources by waste from tobacco products and related electronic devices, including filters of cigarettes as well as batteries, plastic cartridges and metals;”
  • Reminds us that “that WHO has recommended an immediate ban on cigarette filters and vaporizers in its submission to the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution;”
  • Invites countries to use litigation “under Article 19 of the WHO FCTC, to hold the tobacco industry accountable for the damage it causes to the environment;”
  • Alerts us that the tobacco industry uses environmental projects as part of its greenwashing/corporate social responsibility strategy and reminds us of the need to “reduce tobacco industry interference in tobacco control policies” including in the context of environmental protection projects associated with tobacco, and urges Parties “in accordance with WHO FCTC Article 5.3, to protect tobacco-related environmental policies from the commercial and vested interests of the tobacco industry and those working to further its interests;”
  • Reinforces that “this decision aims at aligning the WHO FCTC work with the principles, objectives and commitments of other international agreements, without interfering with their implementation, as well as without precluding the results of ongoing negotiations within international environmental fora, including but not limited to the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution;”
  • Points out “the work of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution, the issue of microplastic pollution caused by plastic cigarette filters, ongoing global efforts in the development of standards for hazardous waste management under environmental laws, and the fact that the WHO FCTC has been officially referenced during the United Nations plastics treaty negotiations.”

This historic decision will help advance health, environmental, and sustainable development goals and objectives.

 

Next Steps: How to Connect the WHO FCTC with the UN Treaty to End Plastic Pollution

  • Include the WHO FCTC in the Preamble of the Zero Draft for the UN Treaty to End Plastic Pollution. The FCTC has been recognized by the UN Development Programme as an accelerator for the environmental goals in the UN Sustainable Development Goals and as such must be included alongside other relevant treaties in the Preamble of the Zero Draft of the Plastic Treaty. The FCTC should be mentioned in this section of the Zero Draft:

reaffirming the importance of cooperation, coordination and complementarity among relevant regional and international conventions and instruments, with due respect for their respective mandates, to prevent plastic pollution and its related risks to human health and adverse effects on human well-being and the environment.”

  • Ensure that plastic cigarette filters are included in the list of “Problematic and avoidable plastic products, including short-lived and single-use plastic products” in the Zero Draft. 

As stated in the FCTC COP10 Article 18 Decision: “plastic cigarette filters are unnecessary, avoidable and problematic, single-use plastics that are widely spread in the environment, killing microorganisms and marine life, as well as polluting oceans.” The Decision goes on “to urge Parties to take into account the environmental impacts from cultivation, manufacture, consumption and waste disposal of tobacco products and related electronic devices.”

  • We call on countries negotiating the UN Treaty to End Plastic Pollution to ensure that adequate firewalls are put in place to guarantee that corporate conflicts of interests do not undermine the outcomes of the negotiations of the treaty to end plastic pollution.

As the Article 18 Decision reminds us, the “tobacco industry is increasingly using actions related to environmental and sustainability claims to mask the damage it causes and to promote itself through extended producer responsibility systems” and calls on countries to align with “WHO FCTC Article 5.3, to protect tobacco-related environmental policies from the commercial and vested interests of the tobacco industry and those working to further its interests.”  The tobacco Industry must not be treated as a “stakeholder” or “responsible producer” but should be made to pay for the pollution.

 

Join ASH in disseminating this Article 18 Decision to help ensure whole of government approaches that build on this Decision at the INCs for the UN Plastics Treaty and the UN Summit of the Future.

Contact the ASH Team with any additional questions at info@ash.org.

Strengthening Social Justice Worldwide

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Social justice is both a public health and a human rights issue, and our work at ASH is designed to improve social justice around the world.

The United Nations General Assembly recognizes that social development and social justice cannot be attained in the absence of respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms, and as such, they recognize World Day of Social Justice every February 20th.

One example of ASH’s social justice work at the international, national, and local level is our work to have menthol as a characterizing flavor removed from tobacco products. In the United States, the tobacco industry has targeted the African American community with menthol for generations and unfortunately, African Americans are now more likely to die from smoking than their white counterparts.

ASH continues to urge the U.S. Government to protect the right to health (and therefore the social justice) of African Americans at the national, international, and local levels:

National – ASH and our partners at the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCLC) filed a lawsuit against the FDA for their inaction on menthol cigarettes, utilizing human rights language in our complaint. In response, the FDA agreed to propagate a rule banning menthol as a flavor. We are still waiting for the rule to be finalized, and we continue to advocate for a rule as quickly as possible.

International – In addition to the lawsuit, ASH led a submission, signed by 97 organizations, to the Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). This letter asked the CERD Committee to encourage the United States (a state Party to the treaty) to protect the right to health of African Americans against the malfeasance of the tobacco industry, a step which would further social justice.

Local – Our partners at the DC Tobacco-Free Coalition have used these human rights arguments to achieve a local menthol ban in Washington, D.C.

Our work around menthol is just one example of how ASH’s global action aids in the progress towards social justice.

In all of our work, we continue to strive for health equity and social justice for all.

Statement from UNEP at WHO FCTC COP10

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On the opening day of the 10th WHO FCTC Conference of the Parties (COP10), the Executive Director of the UN Environmental Programme, Inger Andersen, provided a clear description of the significant negative environmental impact of tobacco products and made an eloquent case for increased collaboration between FCTC and UN environmental agendas.

Global Progress Achieved at WHO Tobacco Treaty Negotiations in Panama

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Media Contact:
Megan Manning
ManningM@ash.org
(202) 390 – 9513

Global Progress Achieved at WHO Tobacco Treaty Negotiations in Panama
Decisions Adopted to Connect Human Rights and the Environment to Tobacco Control with an Eye to Endgame

WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 12, 2024 – Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) led a delegation to the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP10) for the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Panama City, Panama from February 5 – 10, 2024.

To safeguard the global progress from tobacco industry interference, the decisions of COP10 were only known to attending country delegations and civil society organizations until the closing plenary on Saturday, February 10th.

ASH welcomes several groundbreaking decisions that will kick start global progress to accelerate the end of the tobacco epidemic:

  • Human Rights Decision: encourages Parties to consider including WHO FCTC principles and implementation efforts when engaging with the United Nations human rights mechanisms.
  • Article 2.1 on Forward Looking Measures (Tobacco Endgame) Decision: an Expert group was established to explore cutting-edge policies which go beyond minimum FCTC measures and report back to COP11. This will support progress towards the tobacco endgame.
  • Article 18 (Environment) Decision: recognizing the extensive harm caused to the environment by the entire lifecycle of the cigarette, from production to use and disposal including the environmental impact of filters.
  • Article 19 (Liability): re-established an expert group on liability, to help inform Parties on how to use civil and criminal laws to take legal action against the tobacco industry.
  • Panama Declaration: highlighted the above Decisions and reiterated the determination of Parties to prioritize their right to protect public health.

“ASH is honored to have worked on the FCTC since its founding and to be present again for a historic COP where cross-cutting issues including human rights and the environment were finally being formally addressed, along with progress towards the tobacco endgame,” said Laurent Huber, Executive Director of Action on Smoking and Health. “We will use these COP10 decisions in our global advocacy moving forward to strengthen public health protections worldwide.”

The COP10 head of the ASH delegation Laurent Huber, was joined by ASH Staff Chris Bostic and Kelsey Romeo-Stuppy as well as ASH Board Member Carolyn Dresler. ASH was joined by Cynthia Callard, Coral Gartner, Marita Hefler, Heewon Kang, Carol McGruder, and Jessica Rath.

“I felt proud to be part of the ASH delegation and to promote an ambitious tobacco control agenda that addresses the important environmental and human rights aspects of this global epidemic,” said Cynthia Callard, Physicians for a Smokefree Canada.

“Action on Smoking and Health’s participation at the COP was impressive; the presence, preparation, input, negotiations, and persistence achieved the desired outcomes. I couldn’t be prouder to be with them and watch them in action,” said Carolyn Dresler, MD, MPA, Board Member, Action on Smoking and Health.

“I was proud to be part of the ASH delegation to COP10 and to support civil society’s advocacy for action on key tobacco control issues including forward-looking measures including ‘endgame’ measures, tobacco industry liability, protection of the environment and regulating the contents and emissions of tobacco products,” said Professor Coral Gartner, Director of NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence on Achieving the Tobacco Endgame, School of Public Health, The University of Queensland.

“Thank you, ASH, for your diligence and hard work over all these years. As a first time COP delegate, I have a renewed respect and admiration for the vital role you have played in the creation, implementation, and improvement to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control,” said Carol McGruder, Co-Chair, African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council. “Witnessing the knowledge, discernment, coordination, endurance, and diplomacy required for this process was extraordinary.”

“As a first-time COP attendee, I was honored to join the ASH delegation and learn from its leadership – particularly on human rights, FCTC Article 2.1 forward-looking measures to achieve the tobacco endgame, protecting the environment, and tobacco industry liability. Seeing the Parties reach consensus on all these decisions highlighted the important role of civil society in the FCTC as it continually adapts to address the changing context of the tobacco epidemic,” said Associate Professor Marita Hefler, Tobacco Endgame Research Program Lead, Menzies School of Health Research, Australia.

“I had the privilege of participating as part of the ASH delegation at COP10. As a first-time attendee, it has been amazing to witness and contribute to the advocacy efforts led by the dedicated ASH team,” said Dr. Heewon Kang, Research Assistant Professor, Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University, Visiting Academic Fellow/Scholar, Centre of Research Excellence on Achieving the Tobacco Endgame, School of Public Health, The University of Queensland. “Particularly noteworthy is the honor of being present at the COP where all ASH targets have been successfully attained. The efforts of an organized civil society have been and will remain extremely important in achieving a tobacco-free world.”

“I was honored to join the dedicated ASH delegation at COP10 to share my research on the pervasive smoking imagery in streaming shows, music videos and movies,” said Dr. Jessica Rath, Vice President, Truth Initiative Schroeder Institute®. “The entertainment industry should not allow their platforms to help the tobacco industry addict a new generation of young people to tobacco.”

The FCTC COP is where global tobacco policy is written and monitored and where consensus is achieved on how to tackle the tobacco industry and advance health. Decisions adopted at previous COPs are what normalized smoke-free policies around the world, the banning of tobacco advertising, the introduction of plain packaging of tobacco products, and even the need to protect public health policies from tobacco industry interference.

ASH applauds all COP10 delegates who remained dedicated and committed to public health during the negotiations, and we stand ready to support the implementation of the newly adopted decisions and cross-sectoral work that will help us end the tobacco epidemic in record time.

 

ACTION ON SMOKING AND HEALTH
Founded in 1967, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) is America’s oldest anti-tobacco organization, dedicated to a world with ZERO tobacco deaths. Because tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, ASH supports bold solutions proportionate to the magnitude of the problem. ash.org

COP10 Day 6: WHO Tobacco Treaty Negotiations

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The ASH Policy Team is in Panama for the Tenth Conference of the Parties (COP10) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) from February 5 – 10, 2024. They will share updates and progress here for our community to stay engaged and informed throughout COP10.

February 10, 2024 – COP10 was particularly special because several cross-cutting issues – human rights, the environment, and the tobacco endgame – were on the agenda.

ASH and the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control (then the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control) led advocacy for a human rights decision at COP8 that was postponed. We’ve garnered vast support protecting the right to health since 2018 and are elated to report that the COP10 Human Rights Decision passed, thanks to strong leadership from Ecuador and support from their co-sponsors Brazil, Panama, Palau, and New Zealand.

HUMAN RIGHTS- PASSED!

Brazil was also a leader in the environmental movement to strengthen implementation of 18, along with their co-sponsors Ecuador and Panama. The Decision aligns the FCTC with the work being complete by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastics Pollution, including noting that the WHO has called for a ban on cigarette filters.

ARTICLE 18- PASSED!

The “tobacco endgame article” is Article 2.1 which urges governments to go beyond the specific obligations in the FCTC. Canada asked to have it included in the agenda, and submitted a draft decision for consideration to establish an Expert Group to consider “Forward-Looking Measures,” and report back to the next COP. And the decision was adopted! The Committee Chair did an admirable job of diplomatically calling out any false arguments opposing the Expert Group and finding a way to consensus.

ARTICLE 2.1- PASSED!

The Article 19 Decision urges countries to consider holding the tobacco industry liable for the harms they have cause under national civil and criminal laws, and re-establishes an Expert Group on the topic. While Parties have been bound to Article 19 since the beginning of the FCTC, Parties seemed more open to this kind of legal action than ever before, thanks in part to the excellent Decision proposed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, Oman, and Pakistan and their co-sponsors Brazil, Djibouti, Ghana, Iraq, Kuwait, Panama, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, and Yemen.

Article 19- PASSED!

In addition to the Decisions, the Conference of the Parties issued a Declaration, proposed by the host country, Panama. The Panama Declaration highlighted all of the issues mentioned above and also reiterated the determination of Parties to prioritize their right to protect public health.

The FCTC remains as essential as ever – countries that have fully implemented the FCTC have seen enormous health gains. But in the 20+ years since the text was finalized, there have been advances in thinking, new and tweaked policies, and evaluations of what works best. As a framework convention, the FCTC was designed to evolve. And at this COP, evolve it did. The Decisions passed at this COP represent some of the innovative measures that will now be a part of the best practices for tobacco control.

COP10 marks a big and historic victory, but there is still danger. We must continue to ensure that all public health policymaking, including the FCTC Expert Groups, do not include tobacco industry-friendly folks. When civil society and policymakers collaborate on a whole of government approach, without tobacco industry influence, we truly have the opportunity to end the tobacco epidemic within our lifetime.

Keep reading about ASH’s COP10 Priorities and Side Events <Return to Day 5 Blog Read the Daily Bulletin from GATC here

COP10 Day 5: WHO Tobacco Treaty Negotiations

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The ASH Policy Team is in Panama for the Tenth Conference of the Parties (COP10) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) from February 5 – 10, 2024. They will share updates and progress here for our community to stay engaged and informed throughout COP10.

February 9, 2024 – Today is the second to last day of the 10th Conference of the Parties, and the Parties still have agenda items left to discuss, but they have also gotten through several of their important agenda items.

Yesterday, the government of Ecuador proposed a Decision on the contribution of the FCTC to the promotion and respect of human rights. The initiative was co-sponsored by Palau, Panama, Brazil, and New Zealand. ASH Managing Attorney made a short intervention on behalf of 12 organizations:

The draft decision on Human Rights emphasizes the mutually reinforcing nature of the WHO FCTC, Human Rights treaties, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It provides new opportunities for cooperation among policy-makers from different departments as well as civil society groups. The draft Decision is supportive and assists the tobacco control efforts of national governments; it can be a tool that will help tobacco focal points of national governments in addressing challenges in implementing the WHO FCTC at national level (tobacco industry interference, lack of adequate budgets and resources, for example).

For these reasons, Action on Smoking and Health, African Tobacco Control Alliance, Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, Coalition for Americas’ Health, Corporate Accountability, European Network for Smoking Prevention, Global Alliance for Tobacco Control, Smokefree Partnership, Southeast Asian Tobacco Control Alliance, Tobacco Control Research Group- University of Bath, The Union for International Cancer Control, and Vital Strategies welcome the proposal by Ecuador, Palau, Panama, New Zealand and Brazil on Human Rights. We recommend that the Parties adopt it as written. Human rights are the basis for tobacco control and certain rights like the right to health can only be fully realized without addictive, health-harming tobacco products.

In addition, Brazil proposed a Decision on Article 18 on the Environment. ASH Executive Director Laurent Huber made an intervention on the floor of the COP.

The draft Article 18 Decision reminds us of the significant negative environmental impact caused by tobacco growing, production, marketing, distribution, consumption and post consumption of tobacco products.

But as mentioned in the most recent Global Progress in Implementation of the WHO FCTC presented to COP 10, Article 18 continues to be weakly implemented at the national level and in addition, this report points out to insufficient intersectoral cooperation and coordination which as a key barrier to FCTC implementation.

For this reason, Action on Smoking and Health, the African Tobacco Control Alliance, the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, Corporate Accountability International, the European Network for Smoking Prevention, the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control, Tobacco Control Research Group- University of Bath, the Union for International Cancer Control, Smoke Free Partnership, the South East Asia Tobacco Control Alliance and Vital Strategies welcome the draft Article 18 Decision as it will help increase synergy and cooperation between the FCTC and UN environmental mechanisms, while respecting their respective mandates, to achieve globally agreed upon UN Human Rights and Development goals and objectives, including progress towards the 2030 UN Development Agenda.

We continue to be pleased with the strategic side events we were able to host and join, and we look forward to seeing the results of that work in closing plenary – just one day away!

 

Keep reading about ASH’s COP10 Priorities and Side Events <Return to Day 4 Blog Advance to Day 6 Blog> Read the Daily Bulletin from GATC here

COP10 Day 4: WHO Tobacco Treaty Negotiations

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The ASH Policy Team is in Panama for the Tenth Conference of the Parties (COP10) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) from February 5 – 10, 2024. They will share updates and progress here for our community to stay engaged and informed throughout COP10.

February 8, 2024 How the Sausage Gets Made

Few of us have ever made actual sausage. But we’ll explain the process anyway, and then compare it to how things get done at FCTC COP.

To make sausage, you need some casing, some meat and spices. You grind everything up, and stuff it in the casing, tying off the ends. Sausage. But key to our point is that even if you make sausage, you don’t see every aspect of the ingredient trail, such as how the meat was processed, or where the spices were grown, or the origin of casing. Actually, the real key to our point is that making sausage is gross, but the end result can be pleasant.

Treaty decision-making resembles almost nothing else in nature. It is highly dysfunctional, often makes little sense or is wholly nonsensical, and takes a long time. But suddenly, almost startlingly, you get a sausage, and it’s a pretty good sausage, too.

First, let’s dispel any notion that the Conference of the Parties (COP) is like a regular conference. There are no cocktails or high-end swag. But you can score a t-shirt if you time it right.

At COP, groups of delegations do an elaborate dance, trying to swing things in their direction without revealing what they actually want. Their true mission is determined behind closed doors before they get there (that’s the part where you don’t know where the casing and spices are from). Three hours of discussion seem to be going nowhere; the text seems to be further away from consensus than when you started. Delegates zig zag across the room for whispered conversations. And then, suddenly, sausage! I mean consensus! The text is adopted. Everybody claps and pretends this is what they wanted all along. There’s a moment of relief and joy. Then the chair announces the next agenda item, and we start making a new kind of sausage.

ASH had several first-timers on our delegation to this COP. Their reaction has been a mix of fatigue, exasperation, joyful wonder, horrified fascination, and incredulity that anything gets done.

But today, we saw movement and had the opportunity to make key statements on protecting human rights and our environment.

ASH highly recommends the FCTC COP to anyone ready to join us in setting global standards that strengthen public health and can save a billion lives this century.

 

Keep reading about ASH’s COP10 Priorities and Side Events <Return to Day 3 Blog Advance to Day 5 Blog> Read the Daily Bulletin from GATC here

COP10 Day 3: WHO Tobacco Treaty Negotiations

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The ASH Policy Team is in Panama for the Tenth Conference of the Parties (COP10) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) from February 5 – 10, 2024. They will share updates and progress here for our community to stay engaged and informed throughout COP10.

February 7, 2024 – Today was another packed day for the ASH delegation here in Panama.

Several of ASH’s policy priorities have come up on the agenda of the COP. Unfortunately, fruitful debates on these items have been delayed because of country Parties spouting tobacco industry rhetoric. However, that has not stopped the COP from making progress, and we are confident that the majority of the country Parties have the best interests of public health at heart.

ASH Executive Director Laurent Huber spoke on a prestigious panel organized by the WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub on Articles 17 & 18 (Oswaldo Cruz Foundation), Brazil, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control (GATC), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub for Article 5.3 (Thammasat University). He discussed the extensive environmental impact of the tobacco supply chain and which FCTC COP10 decisions can help mitigate that harm. Huber also called out tobacco industry greenwashing efforts that serve as a distraction to the root harm caused by the tobacco industry’s deadly business model and true solutions to the epidemic.

At the same time, ASH Policy Director Chris Bostic spoke on an important panel covering Forward Looking Tobacco Control Measures, hosted by the government of Canada and the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control (GATC). Bostic discussed the current tobacco endgame landscape worldwide and the human rights basis for the endgame movement.

Tomorrow is an important day for the COP, with several key substantive issues up for debate. We are hoping for less tobacco industry interference and more positive steps toward ending the tobacco epidemic.

 

Keep reading about ASH’s COP10 Priorities and Side Events <Return to Day 2 Blog Advance to Day 4 Blog> Read the Daily Bulletin from GATC here

COP10 Day 2: WHO Tobacco Treaty Negotiations

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The ASH Policy Team is in Panama for the Tenth Conference of the Parties (COP10) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) from February 5 – 10, 2024. They will share updates and progress here for our community to stay engaged and informed throughout COP10.

February 6, 2024 – A typical day at the Conference of the Parties begins very early and ends very late, and today was no different.

At 7:00 AM, ASH begins by meeting with our civil society allies to discuss strategy for the day. Starting at 9:00 AM, we attend meetings with country Parties. The official Committee meetings begin mid-morning and run late into the evening.

ASH is here to listen, take notes, engage with Parties and civil society partners, and occasionally make interventions to advocate for our priorities. To safeguard the progress and integrity of the FCTC from tobacco industry interference, the negotiations, interventions and discussions from Committee are not public to share outside of accredited Parties and civil society organizations. The final plenary session will be public and that’s where the results of the week and adopted decisions will be announced.

After Committee meetings end, usually around 6:00 PM, our delegation meets again with country Parties, then we wrap up the formal portion of the day with a debrief among our civil society allies. We finish by preparing policy needs and action points for the following day, often working late into the night.

While the Conference of the Parties (COP) is the official purpose of this week, breaks in the official schedule are filled with side meetings and events that are important, informative, and advance our collective work. The ASH Delegation has been deeply involved in several of these events, with two highlights today.

ASH Board Member Dr. Carolyn Dresler moderated a panel on the FCTC as a tool to advance human rights, co-hosted by ASH and Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK). ASH Managing Attorney Kelsey Romeo-Stuppy presented on how a COP Decision on Human Rights would be useful for advocacy at the international, national, and local level. She was joined by representatives from the delegations of Ecuador, Palau, and Australia, as well as colleagues from CTFK and ATCA, in discussing the importance of connecting tobacco control and human rights.

ASH Delegation member, Dr. Jessica Rath (Vice President, Truth Initiative Schroeder Institute), presented at a lunch session on Cross-Border Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship (TAPS), co-sponsored by ASH, ENSP, the FCTC Secretariat, CTFK, GATC, and the Truth Initiative. Her presentation focused on how smoking and tobacco imagery in streaming content is a threat to young Americans.

The ASH team is encouraged by the progress being made on our COP priorities: human rights, Article 18 (the environment), and forward-looking tobacco control measures (Article 2.1).

At the Article 19 (liability) side event today, hosted by our partners at Corporate Accountability, the Panamanian Vice Minister of Health highlighted that the FCTC protects human rights, a crucial connection we are advocating for all week.

In the plenary meeting, the United States made a public statement that the rule banning menthol as a flavor in the United States “is in its final stages.” While that statement appears optimistic at face value, ASH remains skeptical of the self-congratulatory message to global peers while the life-saving rule is being intentionally stalled at home. ASH encourages the US Government to pay more than lip service to the menthol rule and finalize it. The menthol rule is a direct result of a lawsuit brought by ASH and our partners at AATCLC against the FDA for their inaction regulating menthol; the lawsuit is a fantastic illustration of how our domestic work and our international work compliment and advance each other to further tobacco control.

Tomorrow, ASH will participate in a side event on Forward-Looking Tobacco Control Measures with Canada and the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control (GATC) at 13:30 in Caribe 1-2. At the same time, ASH will join Brazil, Thailand, the FCTC Secretariat, the WHO Knowledge Hub for Article 17 and 18, and the WHO Knowledge Hub for Article 5.3 at the side event: Dialogues to Advance in the Implementation of Article 17 and 18 (environment) of the WHO FCTC at 13:30 in Caribe 3.

Join us tomorrow for two very valuable conversations.

 

Keep reading about ASH’s COP10 Priorities and Side Events <Return to Day 1 Blog Advance to Day 3 Blog> Read the Daily Bulletin from GATC here

COP10 Day 1: WHO Tobacco Treaty Negotiations

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The ASH Policy Team is in Panama for the Tenth Conference of the Parties (COP10) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) from February 5 – 10, 2024. They will share updates and progress here for our community to stay engaged and informed throughout COP10.

February 5, 2024 – The in-person portion of the 10th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) began today in Panama City.

In a very fitting opening message, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General said, “We must continue advocating for urgent and accelerated implementation of the WHO FCTC. We must continue to be on our guard against the tobacco industry and its tactics.”

ASH Executive Director Laurent Huber moderated the side event organized by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub for Article 5.3, co-organized by Ecuador, Corporate Accountability, and the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance, on Implementation of Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC. Speakers covered the importance of combatting tobacco industry interference on every front to safeguard a strong and robust treaty.

During the opening session, ASH welcomed the announcement from the United Kingdom that they are working to have first Smoke-Free Generation by introducing a Tobacco-Free Generation policy.

Throughout COP10, ASH hopes FCTC Parties will make decisions to help advance not only the health of humans but also the health of our environment. 

ASH and our partners were particularly pleased by the statement made in plenary by Inger Andersen, Under Secretary General and Executive Director of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), who promoted the need for collaboration between UNEP and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Andersen made it clear that the world has an opportunity for collaboration to solve the three great environmental crises: climate change, loss of biodiversity, and pollution.

At a time when lack of collaboration and whole of government solutions are common, Andersen’s message offers a powerful example of how governments, inter-governmental organizations, and civil society can collectively solve global challenges together.

Tomorrow, ASH will join ENSP, the FCTC Secretariat, CTFK, GATC, and the Truth Initiative for a lunch session on Cross-Border Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship (TAPS) at 13:30. And in the evening, we will host an event with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids on The FCTC: A Tool to Advance Human Rights at 18:30. Join us for two very valuable conversations.

We look forward to a productive and collaborative week at #COP10FCTC.

Keep reading about ASH’s COP10 Priorities and Side Events Advance to Day 2 Blog> Read the Daily Bulletin from GATC here

ASH Priorities at COP10

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Media Contact: Megan Manning
manningm@ash.org

Introduction

In 2005, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) entered into force, becoming a legally binding treaty that has now been joined by more than 180 countries. Parties to the FCTC meet every two years (officially called the Conference of the Parties or COP) which serve a purpose similar to Congress in the U.S. or a country’s parliament – COP is where global tobacco policy is written and monitored and where consensus is achieved on how to tackle the tobacco industry and advance health.

The negotiations of the FCTC are what normalized smoke-free policies around the world, the banning of tobacco advertising, the introduction of plain packaging of tobacco products, and even the need to protect public health policies from tobacco industry interference. And today, we have the opportunity to set in motion equally groundbreaking public health progress through key decisions at the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP 10).

Human Rights Decision

At the request of Ecuador with support from Panama, a Human Rights Decision is on the formal agenda for COP 10. This decision will help to formalize the connection between tobacco control and human rights. ASH leads the Global Alliance on Tobacco Control (GATC) task force on Human Rights to build consensus and advocate for the decision. ASH will co-host a side panel during COP 10 on Human Rights, see details below or download the flyer here.

GATC Policy Brief on Human Rights (download all languages here)

Article 2.1 | Endgame

At the request of Canada, for the first time since the original negotiations, FCTC Article 2.1 is on the formal agenda for COP. Article 2.1 calls for Parties to implement measures beyond the specific obligations of the FCTC and is often called the “endgame article.” Canada has also released a draft decision calling for the establishment of an expert group to consider cutting edge anti-tobacco policies to report back to COP 11 in 2025. ASH is leading the Global Alliance on Tobacco Control (GATC) task force on Article 2.1 to coordinate civil society support for the decision. Canada will hold a side luncheon panel during COP 10 on Article 2.1 and has invited ASH to speak, see details below or download the flyer here.

GATC Policy Brief on Article 2.1 (download all languages here)

Article 5.3 | Interference

Article 5.3 serves as a critical safeguard against tobacco industry interference in public health policy, recognizing that the tobacco industry has a fundamental conflict of interest with public health goals. By preventing undue influence from this powerful industry, governments can ensure the implementation and enforcement of evidence-based tobacco control measures. At COP 10, advocates play a pivotal role by raising awareness of the tobacco industry’s tactics and lobbying efforts, sharing best practices for countering interference, and fostering international collaboration.

Article 18 | Environment

At the request of Brazil, Article 18 will be on the COP agenda. Article 18 states that in carrying out their obligations under the FCTC, Parties agree to have due regard to the protection of the environment. Brazil has presented a Draft decision that will be considered by COP 10.  Further work on Article 18 will help address the significant negative environmental impact of tobacco on the environment. ASH is co-hosting a side event on the topic during COP 10, see details below or download the flyer here.

GATC Policy Brief on Article 18 (download all languages here)

Article 19 | Liability

Article 19 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control focuses on liability. Civil and criminal liability can be an excellent tool to help fight back against the tobacco industry, and the FCTC recognized this potential. ASH is co-leading the Global Alliance on Tobacco Control task force on Article 19.

GATC Policy Brief on Article 19 (download all languages here)

All Policy Briefs from GATC

Read Daily COP10 Briefs from ASH

COP10 Delegate Information Kit from the WHO FCTC Secretariat

Events

ASH is hosting or participating in numerous side events at ASH including:

Monday,

5 Feb. 2024

13:30 – 14:45

Implementation of Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC

Organizers: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub for Article 5.3 (Thammasat University)

Co-organizers: Ecuador, Corporate Accountability, Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA)

Moderated by Laurent Huber, ASH

Tuesday,

6 Feb. 2024

13:30 – 14:45

Cross-border TAPS (Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship)

Organizers: European Network for Smoking and Tobacco Prevention (ENSP), Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

Co-organizers: Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK), Global Alliance for Tobacco Control (GATC), Truth Initiative

Tuesday,

6 Feb. 2024

18:30 – 19:45

The FCTC a tool to advance human rights

Organizers: Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)

Co-organizers: Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK)

Wednesday,

7 Feb. 2024

13:30 – 14:45

 

Forward Looking Tobacco Control Measures

Organizers: Canada and the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control (GATC)

Wednesday,

7 Feb. 2024

13:30 – 14:45

Dialogues to advance in the implementation of Articles 17 and 18 of the WHO FCTC

Organizers: WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub on Articles 17 & 18 (Oswaldo Cruz Foundation)

Co-organizers: Brazil (tbc), Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), Global Alliance for Tobacco Control (GATC), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (tbc), Secretariat of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, World Health Organization (WHO) (tbc), WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub for Article 5.3 (Thammasat University)

 

International Advocacy Leads to Local and Global Progress

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By: Kelsey Romeo-Stuppy, Managing Attorney at ASH

Throughout my time at ASH, I have visited the United Nations, both in New York and in Geneva, many times. But every single time I step onto a UN campus, I’m awestruck. This is where international change is made, and I am so proud to be an advocate in those arenas.

As ASH’s Managing Attorney, much of my time is spent on our Human Rights work.

Our goal is to protect the right to health of everyone against the harms of tobacco and the tobacco industry. Human rights law requires that governments protect the right to health of its citizens. We utilize human rights mechanisms, such as the United Nations Human Rights Council, to remind governments of those obligations.

In order to ensure that international mechanisms like the United Nations Human Rights Council or the Committee on the Rights of the Child (and many others) address the harms caused by tobacco, we advocate at several levels.

First, we advocate with the human rights body itself. We respond to calls for input and meet with representatives and write letters to highlight to them that tobacco is a human rights issue and is well within their jurisdiction, and we call on them to do something about it by holding governments to account.

We also encourage our colleagues around the world to utilize human rights mechanisms, by submitting reports and making oral statements when their home countries are in front of human rights bodies. International law can be complex and intimidating, so we train our allies on this approach and provide technical assistance as they advocate for the right to health in their country.

We’ve seen success at the international level. Our advocacy ensured that tobacco was included in a recent comment from the Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination, which will help ensure that people of all races are protected from the harms of tobacco.

We’ve also seen success at the local level; our allies in Washington D.C. used human rights arguments to help pass a menthol ban. One of the most rewarding parts of my job is when I see my fellow advocates utilizing human rights strategies to achieve success in their anti-tobacco policies.

I do this work because I believe passionately that companies should not be able to sell products that hurt or kill people when used as intended. As a society, we cannot allow corporate greed to take precedence over public health.

As a mother of three young children, I often think about the kind of world we are creating for the future. I’m proud to be on the ASH team; where the good guys are fighting every day against the big, bad tobacco corporations. We still have some dragons to slay, but with your support, I’m confident that the story will have a happy ending.

As a reminder, December 31st is the LAST DAY to make a tax-deductible donation to ASH in 2023 and to have your donation MATCHED up to $30,000. Please consider making a donation today to build a tobacco-free world for our children.

Thank you for your support.

ASH’s Accomplishments in 2023

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ASH’s work is based on the principle that the actions of the tobacco industry – producing, marketing, and selling addictive products that kill when use as intended – violates human rights, such as the right to health, that have been recognized at the highest level through international, regional, and national legal instruments.

DonateAs such, we focus on 4 key areas of work:

(1) Phasing out the commercial sale of combustible tobacco products (aka Project Sunset, Tobacco Endgame),

(2) Using the law to hold the tobacco industry accountable (ex: joint lawsuit against the FDA for the delayed menthol ban),

(3) Using a human rights approach to advance tobacco control, and

(4) Promoting and strengthening global best practices to reduce tobacco use, through the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

Combined, these programs chip away at the tobacco industry from every angle to accelerate the end of the tobacco epidemic. Below, we celebrate our successes in each program in 2023.

Project Sunset: Phasing out the sale of commercial combustible tobacco products

  • Project Sunset

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    ASH provided technical assistance on endgame planning, policy development, and communications strategies to 34 jurisdictions.

  • ASH developed 8 technical assistance training resources for partners to amplify their support of the tobacco endgame.
  • ASH supported our European partners in promoting their European Union Citizens Petition in support of the endgame policy on building a tobacco-free generation.
  • ASH has been conducting research on the needs of lower and middle-income countries to engage in endgame work.
  • ASH submitted comments to an HHS Request for Information: Draft HHS 2023 Framework to Support and Accelerate Smoking Cessation, connecting cessation and endgame.
  • ASH serves as a statewide media and communications technical assistance provider in California.
  • As a technical assistance provider for the state of California, ASH prepared social media content and supported media advocacy for 6 jurisdictions, while running our own social media campaigns on endgame and the environmental impact of tobacco.
  • Tobacco Endgame Matters podcast published 5 new episodes to educate and unite local communities in the fight for tobacco endgame progress.
  • ASH launched and hosted a very well-received 9 week Tobacco Endgame Policy and Advocacy Training Course for 686 individuals from 69 countries and 42 US states plus D.C. Registration is ongoing and the live discussion sessions will reopen in Spring 2024.
  • ASH coordinated a global response to the New Zealand government’s threat to rescind its tobacco endgame law, passed in December 2022. An open letter with 139 organizational sign-ons connected to a full-page ad in the leading New Zealand newspaper was organized in less than 72 hours.

Using the law to hold the tobacco industry accountable for the harm they cause

  • ASH has supported the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control’s work and preparations for Article 19 advocacy at COP10.
  • ASH and our plaintiff partners continue to monitor the FDA as the menthol rule progresses. We’re extremely concerned about the current delay from the White House and continuing to offer education and advocacy support to streamline implementation of the rule sooner than later.
  • ASH continues to monitor other opportunities for strategic litigation. A lawsuit in the Netherlands is utilizing human rights arguments as a case against “rigged filters.” This is an exciting development that could be instructive for other cases in the future.

Using global norms to move local communities toward a zero tobacco-use prevalence

  • Human Rights Program

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    In exciting news, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination issued its draft for a new General Recommendation on Race and the Right to Health. Due in large part to ASH’s advocacy, tobacco is included in the draft! ASH then organized a campaign to publicize this victory as well as to encourage advocates to stay engaged as the process moves forward, to ensure that tobacco is included in the final draft. 208 organizations from 61 countries joined the sign on campaign, demonstrating human rights as a priority in our field.

  • ASH staff serve as advisors for partner organizations where delegated, such as the UCSF Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education Advisory Committee, the DC Tobacco-Free Coalition, and the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control’s (GATC) COP advisory board. ASH leads the GATC COP10 task force on Human Rights, participates in Article 19 (liability) work, and coordinates efforts around Article 2.1 (Sunset). Nichelle Gray was chosen to take part in the Quantum Leap Leadership Development Program hosted by the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council.
  • ASH staff was asked to participate in interviews by the Institute for International and Development Studies in Geneva on tobacco industry interference and the WHO FCTC Secretariat regarding their ongoing Stakeholder Perception Study.
  • ASH submitted 8 comments to United Nations bodies, providing recommendations on the intersection of human rights, the environment, and tobacco control best practices. One example was our joint report with Comité National contre le Tabagisme (CNCT) and Alliance Contre le Tabac (ACT) which was joined by 50 additional signatories calling on the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) to make recommendations that France take greater steps to protect the right to health of women and girls from the harms of tobacco.
  • ASH co-convened the Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance (STPA), a global coalition of 100 public health organizations who recognize the crucial intersection of tobacco control and environmental health, at two global treaty negotiations and during year-round country advocacy to support INC-2 and INC-3.
  • ASH wrote 3 advocacy reports on implementing best practices in tobacco control, for example the 2023 U.S. Tobacco Industry Interference Index.
  • ASH staff presented at 21 local, national, and global events, for example the UN Human Rights Council, an ASTHO webinar, the Truth Initiative Impact Series, the European Conference on Tobacco or Health, and a webinar for the Public Health Law Center, on amplifying human rights and equity while strengthening tobacco endgame policies.
  • Launched updated data for all 50 states and DC on the U.S. Tobacco Industry Lobbyist and Lobbying Firm Registration Tracker, which received considerable positive feedback from our partners who were seeking a resource like this tracker to help them avoid working with clever tobacco lobbyists.
  • ASH remains active with the DC Tobacco-Free Coalition, particularly on encouraging robust enforcement of DC’s Flavored Tobacco Law and educating the community through the DC Calls It Quits Week Summit.
  • ASH will be very active at COP10 in early February 2024 and is co-hosting or speaking at several side events. Review our COP10 priorities and events here.

ASH in the News

Key media articles quoting ASH or mentioning our work

14 Press Releases and Statements

31 Blogs

Publications

Additional Items

  • ASH continued our successful Webinar Series, hosting 31 webinars with prominent co-hosts, such as US FDA, WHO FCTC Article 17/18 Knowledge Hub, the Global Alliance for Tobacco Control, DC Health, NYU, UNC Chapel Hill, the Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance, UpEnd Tobacco. Having trained 5,305 advocates in 2023, ASH continues to receive positive feedback on and strong attendance at our substantiative training webinars.

 

You play a critical role in our success too. Without your support, much of this wouldn’t have happened. Please make a generous donation today, to be DOUBLED, to bolster our work.

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End of 2023 Message from ASH Executive Director Laurent Huber

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This has been another fast-paced year in ASH’s fight to protect society from the harm caused by the tobacco industry. A year where we have seen much progress, reached new milestones, and marked major anniversaries though, unfortunately, also a year where we faced painful setbacks as the tobacco industry does all it can to keep its lethal tobacco products on the market.

This year marked the 25th anniversary of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA), a legal agreement that forced major tobacco companies to pay for some tobacco-caused healthcare costs. Since 1998, U.S. smoking prevalence has been cut in half, from 24.1% to 11.5%.

This year also marked the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), whose key goal was to promote and protect fundamental rights. These rights, like the right to health and the right to a healthy environment, have been codified at the highest level of international law through human rights treaties and processes. But the tobacco industry, responsible annually for over 8 million deaths, for cutting down 600 million trees, for the production of 84 million tons of CO2, and for 4.5 trillion cigarette butts littered into the environment, is a clear obstacle to the right to health and the right to a healthy environment.

Much has changed since these key legal tools were developed to protect your right to health from being harmed by tobacco. When the UDHR was established, half of U.S. adults surveyed said they smoked cigarettes, cigarette consumption was raising rapidly, and smoking was permitted in virtually every public space.

Today, thanks to the efforts of ASH and our partners around the world, we have seen impressive progress towards curbing the tobacco epidemic.

Currently, US smoking prevalence is at 11.5% and 74 countries protect their citizens with comprehensive national smoke-free laws. This is progress, but far from completion, as too many people are still harmed by tobacco products.

That’s why, in 2023, ASH welcomed the pending implementation of new measures to protect the rights of citizens from tobacco products such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s proposed rule banning menthol cigarettes and the New Zealand Tobacco Endgame Law that included denicotinisation of smoked tobacco products, a major reduction in tobacco retail outlets, and a ban on the commercial sale of combustible tobacco products to anyone born after 2008.

But unfortunately, late this year, both of those major steps forward for public health hit roadblocks. The comprehensive commercial tobacco endgame Act in New Zealand is under threat of being repealed and the White House has quietly delayed the menthol rule to March 2024 or possibly later.

ASH has taken a leadership role in support of the New Zealand endgame policy with a joint op-ed calling on the new government to prioritize human life over tobacco industry profit, and we are working with partners to push the FDA to promulgate the menthol ban as quickly as possible. These are front-line initiatives in our broader strategy to build a world where no one dies because of tobacco.

These delays are in large part caused by the actions of the tobacco industry.

Government representatives from countries all over the world tell us time and again that the main obstacle to the implementation of life-saving tobacco control measures is the tobacco industry. ASH’s 2023 U.S. Tobacco Industry Lobbyist and Lobbying Firm Registration Tracker identified hundreds of tobacco lobbyists at every level of government and our 2023 U.S. Tobacco Industry Interference Index identified their tactics.

So, while we are making progress, much still needs to be done in 2024 if we want to see the effective implementation of life-saving tobacco endgame strategies in the U.S. and around the world.

Fortunately, 2024 also provides many opportunities. Register now for our webinar on January 11, 2024 to hear the ASH team review our priorities and opportunities for the year.

If, as a society, we have been able send humans to the moon, we should be able to remove from the market the only consumer good that kills when used as intended.

Join ASH in our efforts to achieve our vision of “a world free from the harm caused by tobacco.”

And please consider making a donation today, to be MATCHED up to $30,000 if we receive it by December 31, 2023, to bolster ASH’s work in 2024.

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Joint Op-Ed: 139 Organizations Call on New Zealand to Prioritize Human Life Over Tobacco Industry Profit

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To the People of New Zealand/Aotearoa and Right Honourable Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Honourable Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters, Honourable David Seymour, Honourable Minister of Finance Nicola Willis, and Honourable Minister of Health Dr Shane Reti,

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As medical, public health, academic and human rights organisations from across the globe that work to end the devastating toll of smoking, we write to call on you to retain New Zealand’s world-leading smokefree law, The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act (SERPA) and the Smokefree Aotearoa Action Plan. These will likely prevent tens of thousands of New Zealanders from suffering the heartache of seeing their loved ones suffer and die prematurely from smoking. These policies will save lives.

We wholeheartedly agree with our colleagues and concerned citizens in New Zealand that repealing this Act would be both irresponsible and immoral. The marketing and sale of tobacco products – the only consumer products that addict and kill when used as intended – is a violation of the human right to health. Governments have an obligation to stop third parties such as tobacco companies from violating the rights of their citizens. We remind you that Māori leaders first proposed the smokefree goal and inspired the National-led government to commit to this goal in 2011.

The Hon. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has stated that the justification to repeal the Act is to maintain smoking rates in the short-term to keep tax revenue and fund tax cuts. This is unconscionable and wrong. The costs of preventing and treating tobacco-caused diseases in New Zealand far surpass tobacco tax revenue. In a nation with universal health care, everyone bears those costs.

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If your government wishes to maximize revenue to fund tax cuts, SERPA implementation should be accelerated, not repealed. Ending the tobacco epidemic would be an historic win for wealth as well as health. Rescinding a law designed to protect New Zealanders’ health to enhance short-term tax revenues violates governments’ fundamental duty to protect its citizens’ lives and health and would make the government directly complicit with the tobacco industry in the 5,000 deaths per year from tobacco-related disease.

The argument that the legislation is paternalistic and violates freedom of choice does not survive scrutiny. Nicotine is an extraordinarily addictive substance. Tobacco companies have engineered cigarettes to make them even more addictive. Decades ago, a tobacco industry executive stated bluntly: “We are, then, in the business of selling nicotine, an addictive drug.” Simply put, addiction removes choice. Most adults who smoke became addicted as children. For them, there never was an “adult choice.” Like laws mandating seatbelts and helmets, or that restrict dangerous products such as lead and asbestos, SERPA does not violate personal freedom. It promotes individual and public safety.

Concerns that SERPA will increase illicit trade have no empirical or logical foundation, and come directly from tobacco industry propaganda. Education, enforcement, and strong support for people wanting to quit will effectively manage any illicit trade threat. Furthermore, rapid continued decreases in smoking prevalence are the best defence against illicit activity.

Repealing SERPA would disproportionately harm Māori peoples. It would also contravene international obligations New Zealand has signed, including human rights treaties such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which includes the obligation to promote health equity. New Zealand is also a party to the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), ratified by 182 countries. The objective of the FCTC is to protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke. SERPA is a rare opportunity to lead a wave of momentous generational change.

Repealing SERPA will have only one winner – the tobacco industry – and will firmly establish an ethos of putting corporate profit over public health. The tobacco industry is not a legitimate stakeholder in public health conversations. Under the FCTC, New Zealand is obligated to keep the industry at arm’s length when establishing public policy. Its interests are incompatible with the public interest, a reality enshrined in the FCTC.

We strongly urge the New Zealand Government to put the health of New Zealanders, especially children, Māori and future generations above the wealth of tobacco companies. SERPA has made New Zealand a shining light and source of inspiration for countries battling to end the tobacco epidemic. Millions of people around the world who have lost loved ones to smoking stand with concerned New Zealanders. If adopted by other countries, the SERPA measures would likely save hundreds of millions of lives. Please let it remain so.

139 Signatory Organizations from 53 Countries

AAMOSAPU (Associação Moçambicana de Saúde Pública)
ACT-Alliance contre le Tabac
Action on Smoking and Health
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Philippines
Advantage Academic
African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council
Al-Balqa Applied University
Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM)
American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
ANG NARS
Anti-Vaping Champions at UCLA
ANZCA
APEPOC
Arab Council for Social Responsibility
ARDTP – Asociación de Reducción de Daños por Tabaquismo de Panamá
Arizonans Concerned About Smoking, Inc.
ASH Finland
ASH Scotland (UK)
ASH Thailand
Association APEDDUB
Association for Nonsmokers – Minnesota
Association of Respiratory Care Practitioners, Phils. inc.
Asthma Society of Ireland
Australian Council on Smoking and Health
Austrian Council on Smoking and Health
BACR
Bahrain Anti-smoking Society
Bay Area Community Resources
Bayside Smokefree Housing Alliance
Belgian Foundation Against Cancer
BLUE 21 / Unfairtobacco
Cambodia Movement for Health
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
Cancer awareness centre of Kenya
Cancer Society of New Zealand
CAT – Centro de Apoio ao Tabagista
CEDRO
Center for Black Health & Equity
CIET
Cigarette Butt Pollution Project
CILTAS-MS
Circle of Public Administration and Governance Students
Comité National Contre le Tabagisme, CNCT
Community Wellness Alliance
Corporate Accountability International
Counter Tools
Cyprus Association of Cancer Patients and Friends (PASYKAF)
DNF-Demain sera Non-Fumeur
Environmental Health Association of Ireland
Equity and Wellness Institute
Film Location Group
Foundation “Smart Health – Health in 3D”
Fresh (Making Smoking History)
FUNDACION BOLIVIA SALUDABLE/ALIANZA POR LA SALUD
German Cancer Research Center
Global Alliance for Tobacco Control
Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute
Healis Sekhsaria Institute of Public Health
Health Funds for a Smokefree Netherlands
Health Service Executive – “Tobacco Free Ireland” Programme
HealthBridge Foundation of Canada in Vietnam
HealthJustice Philippines
HEART Coalition
Heart Foundation of Jamaica
Hellenic Thoracic Society
ImagineLaw, Inc.
Indonesia Health Policy Forum
Institute for Social Marketing and Health, University of Stirling
International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation (ITC) Project, University of Waterloo
Irish Cancer Society
Irish Heart Foundation
Israel Medical Association for Smoking Cessation and Prevention
Jamaica Coalition for Tobacco Control (JCTC)
Japan Society for Tobacco Control
Kavali Consulting LLC
Korea Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education
Learn to Grow, Inc.
Lentera Anak Foundation
LGBTQ Center, Orange County
Lutheran Outreach Community Based Organization
Malaysian Green Lung Association
Melbourne Centre for Behaviour Change
Meqoamia community development organization
National Heart Foundation of Australia
NCD Unit
NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence on Achieving the Tobacco Endgame
No Menthol Movement ATL
North American Quitline Consortium
Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition
Norwegian Cancer Society
NY SAHY
OMIS (Organización Multidisciplinaria para la Integración Social)
Ora New Zealand
Parents Against Vaping E-Cigarettes
PASYKAF – The Cyprus Association of Cancer Patients and Friends
People’s Health Foundation, Myanmar
Philippine College of Chest Physicians
Philippine College of Physicians
Philippine College of Physicians Central Luzon
Philippine Smoke-Free Movement
Philippine Society of Diabetologists
Philippine Society of Public Health Physicians
Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada
Plastic Pollution Coalition
Psoriasis Asia Pacific
Psoriasis Philippines Online Community, Inc.
Public Health Advocacy Institute
Public Health Association of Australia
RENATA Red Nacional Antitabaco
Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
Seoul National University
Smoke-Free Baguio City
Smoke-Free Life Coalition
Social Watch Philippines
Society for Oral Cancer and Health
Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco Oceania Chapter
Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA)
St Hemmingways CBO
Stan Martin Consulting, LLC
Swiss Association for Tobacco Control
T&T Consulting Limited
TAG Tobacco Alcohol and Gambling Advisory Advocacy and Action Group
Tambayan Center for Children’s Rights, Inc.
Tanzania Tobacco Control Forum
The Last Plastic Straw
The World is Home
Tobacco Control Alliance of Georgia
Tobacco Control Research Group, University of Bath
Tobacco Free Association of Zambia
Tobacco Free Portfolios
Tobacco-Free Advocacy Japan
TobaccoFree Research Institute Ireland
UK Faculty of Public Health
Union Antitabaquica Argentina UATA
Union for International Cancer Control
Vital Strategies
Youth and Women for Change in Eswatini
Zambia Alliance for Tobacco Control
Zambia Heart and Stroke Foundation
Sign the Petition from HĀPAI TE HAUORA

Individuals can share their support by signing this petition: Put our People over Profit – Stop the Repeal of the Smokefree Legislation created by Hāpai Te Hauora.

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22 Years Fighting for You

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By: Chris Bostic, Policy Director at ASH

Ending the tobacco epidemic is not only my job but a personal mission in life.

William Lloyd Garrison, the “Golden Trumpet” of the abolition movement in the 19th century, said “That which is not just is not law.” I would modify it for the tobacco industry – “that which is not just cannot remain law.” It is simply unjust to addict people to a product that is quite likely to kill them. And it is unjust for governments to allow it.

That is the simple truism behind ASH’s push to outlaw the sale of tobacco products. And it’s what motivates me, after 22 years in the field, to keep pushing.

I know we’ll succeed someday; why not sooner rather than later? There are a billion lives at stake.

You may wonder why ASH gets involved in everything from city council hearings to United Nations negotiations and from Colorado to Malaysia. It’s simple: we need to build pressure and momentum from every angle and enlist a broad movement that includes organizations focused on health, the environment, human rights, poverty, economics, and human development. Ending the tobacco epidemic would advance all of those issues.

We will be healthier, live longer, be wealthier and more equitable when the tobacco industry is out of business.

While ASH’s vision is global, we place a heavy focus on our home turf. Working on tobacco policy in the U.S. involves two unique challenges. First, our federal system means that some anti-tobacco policies can only be done at the federal level, some only at the state or local level, and some we can’t be sure of, which is why the number one argument of the tobacco industry in their myriad lawsuits is federal preemption (they rarely win, thankfully). The sheer number of battlefields is enormous.

The second challenge – and I’ll be blunt – is that the U.S. Congress is, as a whole, basically bought and paid for by the tobacco industry. This is not to say every Congressperson takes tobacco industry money. Many do not, and many are champions of public health. But enough do take tobacco money to make passage of meaningful federal policy nearly impossible, particularly in the current climate where partisanship stymies collaboration even on bills that everyone agrees on. The last major federal tobacco law – mandating a minimum purchase age of 21 – only passed because the tobacco industry gave their permission.

So we must choose other battlefields. If federal legislation is impossible, we can work with federal regulatory agencies like the FDA, the CDC, and the EPA. We can work at the state and local level. As you move down the ladder from federal to state to local, campaign financing as a tobacco industry tool loses power. Many city council campaigns cost little to nothing, leaving the tobacco industry without a handhold. And we can work at the international level, to establish global norms that will bring ideas and pressure home.

While the fight is complicated, it is also simple. We must put the tobacco industry out of business permanently.

At ASH, we are determined to do just that, not “someday,” but soon. I am privileged to be a part of this fight, and grateful to you for making it possible.

Today, I’m also honored to share that our Board of Directors has been so impressed with your support of our matching campaign that they extended the deadline to December 31st, meaning all donations made today through the end of the year will be MATCHED dollar for dollar, up to $30,000.

Thank you for your continued support.

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