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 – violate human rights, for example the right to health.

As such, ASH focuses on 4 key areas of work:

(1) Phasing out the sale of commercial 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) and UN Plastics Treaty.

Combined, these programs chip away at the tobacco industry from every angle to accelerate the end of the tobacco epidemic.

Below, we celebrate our key successes in each program in 2024.

Project Sunset: Phasing out the sale of commercial tobacco products

Global Advocacy

• ASH serves as a global convenor for tobacco endgame policies, providing connections, technical assistance, and training based on the needs of the community. As part of that role, ASH co-hosts a Global Sunset Steering Committee and provides counsel to advocates in India, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, European Union.
• ASH is working with advocates in Togo, Zambia, Tanzania and Jordan to develop endgame campaigns.
• ASH organized a global support campaign for South Australia’s Nicotine-Free Generation bill.
• At COP10 for the tobacco treaty, ASH coordinated civil society to support the strong Decision on Article 2.1 that was adopted and continues to support the expert group.
• ASH’s Tobacco Endgame Policy and Advocacy Training Course re-launched live discussion sessions in 2024 with the ongoing nine modules available for participants to complete.

US Advocacy

• ASH hosted the first National Endgame Summit April 18 – 19 in Washington, DC. Representatives from nearly every national anti-tobacco group attended, as well as voices from Tribal, ethnic/racial, LGBTQ+, rural, urban and other communities. Support was provided by Kaiser Permanente, Truth Initiative, the American Heart Association, MD Anderson Cancer Center, the National Cancer Institute, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health.
• ASH serves on formal and informal advisory committees for endgame policies in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada.
• ASH serves as a national convenor for tobacco endgame policies by chairing the U.S. Project Sunset Steering Committee.

California Advocacy

• ASH staff developed and managed six local health departments’ media campaigns on tobacco policies, endgame, and cessation.
• ASH published four Tobacco Endgame Matters podcast episodes on working with diverse communities.
• ASH staff developed an Endgame Fact Sheet that can be customized for cities and counties.
• ASH staff provided communications trainings to local coalitions on how to be a spokesperson, work with the media, amplify social media presence, use visuals effectively, and understand AI tools in Canva.
• ASH hosted a training session on Endgame Policy 101 for local coalitions.
• The ASH CA Project Director was elected as the Community Advisory Board Chairperson for the new Tobacco Cessation Program Research Center at the University of California at Davis.

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

• ASH staff participated in and spoke at the Funeral for Menthol Cigarettes in Washington, DC hosted by the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council (AATCLC).
• ASH joined AATCLC, the National Medical Association (NMA) and American Medical Association (AMA) in filed a second lawsuit against the FDA for their inaction on menthol cigarettes.
• At COP10 of the tobacco treaty, ASH advocated for a strong Decision on Article 19 (Liability) which was adopted. ASH will provide input to the Article 19 FCTC Expert Group in preparation for COP11.
• ASH served as legal advisors for a lawsuit against Juul.

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

3 Negotiations for Global Treaties

COP10 of the tobacco treaty – ASH ran a successful campaign ahead of and during the 10^th Conference of the Parties of the WHO FCTC that led to the adoption of 4 key COP10 Decisions:

• 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.
• At COP10, ASH’s delegation included experts from AATCLC, Truth Initiative, Physicians for a Smokefree Canada, NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence on Achieving the Tobacco Endgame, and Menzies School of Health Research. Our delegation co-hosted and participated in 5 side events, made 4 interventions from the floor during Plenary or Committees, numerous interventions in regional meetings, and co-signed many other interventions.

INC4 of the treaty to end plastic pollution

• ASH continued to serve as a convenor of the Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance (STPA).
• ASH chaired the Conflict of Interest Working Group with the environmental and tobacco control advocates in support of COI inclusions in the treaty and treaty process.
• At INC4, ASH advocated for a ban on cigarette filters and highlighted the nexus between plastic pollution and the WHO FCTC. We achieved explicit calls from several countries for a total ban on plastic cigarette filters and recognition of the FCTC in the draft Preambular text. ASH collaborated with environmental groups and NGOs like Break Free From Plastic, CIEL, and Surfrider Foundation Canada, receiving support and assistance during negotiations.

INC5 of the treaty to end plastic pollution

• ASH continued to convene the STPA chair the Conflict of Interest Working group within the Break Free from Plastic coalition.
• At INC5, ASH advocated for a ban on cigarette filters and highlighted the nexus between plastic pollution and the WHO FCTC, achieving support. Unfortunately, the negotiations stalled, and the session ended with no formal treaty. ASH will remain active at INC5.2 and remain hopeful for the development of a strong treaty.

Human Rights Advocacy

• The Truth and Transparency Committee in Switzerland commissioned an internal review written by Action on Smoking and Health in consultation with experts in the fields of law, health, and human rights, and published by OxySuisse, called Human Rights Violations by Tobacco Multinationals in Switzerland and Around the World.
• ASH organized a joint campaign where we submitted 4 reports to the Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) about how tobacco companies violate women’s rights in Japan, New Zealand, Canada, and Chile.
• ASH applied for and was invited to host an “informal briefing” for the members of the CEDAW Committee on the topic of tobacco and women’s rights.
• During the UN Human Rights Council Session in June, ASH submitted a written statement to the UN Human Rights Council, co-signed by 35 organizations, we submitted two oral statements and hosted a virtual side event with the Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR), the governments of Panama and Ecuador, and numerous other co-sponsors.
• ASH drafted and led a sign on submission to a call for input from the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health around harm reduction.

Global Norms Advocacy

• ASH Launched the 2024 edition of our U.S. Tobacco Industry Lobbyist and Lobbying Firm Registration Tracker. The tracker expanded to show past results from 2021 and 2023, allowing users to explore more of the trends in tobacco lobbying.
• ASH continues to serve on the DC Tobacco Free Coalition Executive Board and provides leadership as immediate past chair. ASH advocates for an increase to DC’s tobacco tax, for JUUL settlement funds to be applied to tobacco and nicotine prevention and cessation, and enforcement of DC’s tobacco flavors prohibition law. ASH was selected to receive the Rolando Andrewn Legacy award from the DC Tobacco Free Coalition at the Coalition’s Annual DC Calls It Quits Summit.
• ASH continues to participate in the UN reform process, the Summit for the Future. During COP, we solicited support from other organizations for our comments on the zero draft and submitted it with their endorsement.

Active Memberships

• ECOSOC Observer
• PAHO Non-State Actor
• Formal Membership with the World Health Organization (WHO)
• WHO’s Global Coordination Mechanism on NCDs Knowledge Action Portal
• WHO Civil Society Working Group on NCDs
• Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance – co-convenor
• Global Alliance for Tobacco Control – leading policy teams
• DC Tobacco-Free Coalition
• Nicotine Addiction and Tobacco Use Treatment Initiative (NATTI), a global effort led by Uruguay’s Ministry of Health and NextGenU.org.

ASH in the News

Key Media Articles Quoting ASH or Our Work

• ASH and our spokespeople were mentioned or quoted in 30+ major news publications on our second lawsuit being filed against the US FDA. Highlights include: CNN, Bloomberg News, The Hill, the Associated Press, the Guardian, and the Atlanta Voice.
• Quote from Laurent that was picked up by The New York Times, Bloomberg News, NBC, and US News and World Report.
• The Boston Herald here>
• Bloomberg Law.
• Stat News covered the lobbyist tracker data release here>
• MedPage Today on Menthol Summit
• Swiss media coverage of the Swiss Report release

11 Press Releases and Statements

• Global Progress Achieved at WHO Tobacco Treaty Negotiations in Panama
• Health Groups File Second Lawsuit Against the US FDA
• Biden Administration Bows to Tobacco Industry with New Delay on Menthol Cigarette Ban.
• UN Plastics Treaty Negotiations Move Forward with Strong Support for Banning Cigarette Filters
• Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Upholds Tobacco-Free Generation Law
• Tobacco Industry Expands Lobbying Efforts in the U.S. in 2024
• Tobacco Companies Violate Children’s Human Rights
• Tobacco Companies Violate Women’s Rights in Canada, Chile, Japan and New Zealand
• The Birthplace of Human Rights – Switzerland – Allows Corporate Malfeasance
• ASH was selected to receive the Rolando Andrewn Legacy award from the DC Tobacco Free Coalition at the Coalition’s Annual DC Calls It Quits Summit. COO Liz Furgurson accepted the award on behalf of ASH, video here.
• Santa Cruz County’s First-in-the-World Cigarette Filter Ban Passed

43 Blogs | Highlights

• ASH Priorities and Events at COP10
• ASH staff wrote 6 daily COP10 blogs for our website and published 6 articles in the GATC Bulletin, starting with COP10 Day 1: WHO Tobacco Treaty Negotiations
• FCTC COP10 Overviews of Key Decisions: Human Rights, Article 18: Environment, Article 2.1: Endgame, Article 19: Liability
• ASH staff and Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance Members wrote 7 daily INC-5 daily blogs, starting with: INC-5 Day 1: UN Plastic Pollution Treaty Negotiations
• Strengthening Social Justice Worldwide | World Day of Social Justice 
• EU Due Diligence Law Approved by European Governments
• Protecting Women’s Rights | International Women’s Day
• Renewed Momentum on Tobacco Endgame.
• 1^st National Tobacco Endgame Summit
• The Hidden Subsidy for the Tobacco Industry
• Key Highlights from the 2024 U.S. Surgeon General’s Report
• A Human Rights-Based Approach to Tobacco
• A Handful of Volunteers are Kicking the Industry’s Butt in Massachusetts

4 Publications

• 2023 Annual Report
• Protecting Children from the Tobacco Industry
• Human Rights Violations by Tobacco Multinationals
• Kelsey contributed a chapter on Tobacco Industry Corporate Malfeasance and Women’s Rights Violations to the Women’s Health and Corporate Marketing: Our Bodies, Their Business, a collection of essays that examines how historically significant marketing schemes have profoundly impacted women’s health and healthcare across the world. The publication is available for purchase here>

15 Webinars

• ASH continued our successful Webinar Series, hosting 15 webinars with prominent co-hosts, such as United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, Mision Permanente De Panama Ante Las Naciones Unidas Y Ostros Organismos Internacionales Ginebra Suiza, Ecuadorian Ministry of Public Health, OxySuisse, Swiss Association for Tobacco Control, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Having trained 3,003 advocates in 2024, 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.