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Megan Manning
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Tobacco Industry Expands Lobbying Efforts in the U.S. in 2024
New Compiled Data Released in ASH’s U.S. Tobacco Industry Lobbyist and Lobbying Firm Registration Tracker
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 2, 2024 – Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) released the 3rd edition of the U.S. Tobacco Industry Lobbyist and Lobbying Firm Registration Tracker for the current cycle. The ASH Lobbyist Tracker is the first source to compile and standardize tobacco industry lobbying in the United States. The tracker compiles public records from the varying registration and reporting systems within all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.
Pennsylvania and Florida remain the two U.S. states with the most tobacco industry lobbyists, with Ohio jumping into third place over New Jersey, now in fourth place for 2024.
Explore the ASH Lobbyist Tracker here>
“The volume and reach of tobacco lobbyists runs in direct conflict with our ability to enact strong public health measures in those states,” said Nichelle Gray, ASH Manager of Engagement and Special Programs and lead researcher for the ASH Lobbyist Tracker. “The globally recognized standard for effective tobacco policymaking calls for the active exclusion of tobacco companies and their stakeholders from the regulation of their own products. The goals of tobacco companies are diametrically opposed to the goals of public health.”
“Despite being convicted racketeers, the influence of Big Tobacco looms large in state halls across the country,” said Traci Kennedy, Midwest States Strategist at Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation (ANRF). “Fortunately, advocates can be prepared with access to the ASH Lobbyist Tracker tool. By navigating the patchwork of reporting sites to gather this information, ASH has done the heavy lifting to equalize access and further understanding of the network of industry lobbyists while providing confidence to advocates to continue to address the burden of tobacco use in their communities and states.”
Lobbying is not inherently problematic; the problem arises when lobbyists work on behalf of companies whose products kill when used exactly as intended. There is no safe use of cigarettes; they kill up to half of all users and sicken millions more every year.
“The ASH Lobbyist Tracker has been an invaluable resource for my advocacy work,” said Meredith Berkman, co-founder of Parents Against Vaping. “When one of our parent volunteers was approached by a ‘helpful’ PR person offering to assist her with a local editorial, something about the situation didn’t sit right with me. The ASH Lobbyist Tracker confirmed this ‘friend of a friend’ was, in fact, working for a state lobbying firm whose client was a tobacco company! I encourage all advocates to use the Tracker to ensure they aren’t working with any tobacco industry stakeholders.”
Cigarettes are extremely addictive and cause cancer in nearly every organ of the body. Their manufacturers have no place in public health policymaking. When it’s not possible to actively exclude tobacco industry representatives due to U.S. law, we must ensure their “advice” is ignored.
Key Insights from the ASH Tracker:
– In 2024 at the state level, a total of 1027 tobacco industry lobbyist and lobbying firm registrations were identified, involving 950 lobbyists or lobbying firms. This was a 10.7% increase in tobacco industry registrations from 2023 and a 2.5% increase since 2021.
– State level tobacco industry lobbying registrations increased over 2023 despite Juul’s 81% decrease in registrations as of 2024.
– Since Philip Morris International (PMI) Global Services acquired Swedish Match in 2023, there has been a considerable increase in the number of lobbyists they collectively employ across the U.S. To our knowledge, PMI Global Services has not previously had any registered lobbyists in the U.S., so this merger has shown a big shift in lobbying strategies. Under PMI’s ownership, Swedish Match has increased the number of lobbyists they employ by 200%, from 8 lobbyists and 3 lobbying firms in 2021 to 128 lobbyists and 17 lobbying firms in 2024.
– Almost half (538) of the tobacco lobbyist registrations represent a company that is owned by or has a licensing agreement with federally adjudicated racketeers, including Altria, Reynolds American, Inc (RAI), and Juul.
– Public records indicate that 12 states and DC require or allow lobbying firms to register, instead of individual lobbyists, allowing the tobacco industry to mask from public view the actual number and names of individual lobbyists who are working on their behalf in those states.
The ASH Tracker allows health-conscious policymakers and advocates to have a clear understanding of who is lobbying on behalf of tobacco companies to ensure their input ceases. The tracker also provides the public with a more accurate understanding of how much time and money tobacco companies invest attempting to weaken public health legislation and maintain their deadly grasp on the market.
ASH and partners Americans for Non-Smokers’ Rights Foundation (ANRF) and Parents Against Vaping are hosting a webinar today, May 2, 2024 from 12:00pm – 1:00pm Eastern to discuss tobacco industry lobbying in the U.S. Register for free here>
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[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]