This Saturday, May 31, is World No Tobacco Day. Each year, the World Health Organization sets a theme that highlights a crucial element of the fight to end the tobacco epidemic. This year, ASH joins the WHO in “Unmasking the Appeal.”
Where do we even start? There is just so much to unmask with the tobacco industry.
Below are four key areas where ASH is working to counter some of the Tobacco Industry’s most egregiously masked true intentions.
However, please know that this is just the tip of the iceberg; masking its true intention has been a part of the tobacco industry business model since the very beginning.
Menthol
What they are hiding: cigarette harshness and addictiveness
How they hide it: menthol flavoring makes cigarettes easier to start using and harder to quit
How we fight back: ASH, the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, the American Medical Association, and the National Medical Association sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over their inaction to ban menthol, despite decades of research demonstrating the health benefits that would follow.
Greenwashing
What they are hiding: the negative environmental impact of the entire lifecycle of cigarettes from production to use and beyond disposal
How they hide it: tobacco companies fund programs that make it look like they are environmentally conscious
How we fight back: We shine a light on any tobacco industry greenwashing around the world, calling out the irony of those actions and encouraging parties to avoid working with tobacco companies. (see video below)
Cigarette Filters
What they are hiding: the devastating health impacts of cigarettes
How they hide it: tobacco companies pretend that filters make cigarettes less harmful. Cigarette filters do not lessen the harms of smoking; in fact, research shows that it may increase the odds of disease and death. Filters also mask the harshness of smoking, increasing youth initiation.
How we fight back: ASH co-convenes the Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance (STPA) and our united advocacy at the negotiations for the UN Treaty to End Plastic Pollution; we are seeking a ban on all cigarette filters.
Human Rights
What the Industry is hiding: their human rights violations
How they hide it: by highlighting their “human rights achievements” that they want the public to focus on instead.
How we fight back: ASH specifically works to counter tobacco companies’ human rights violations by reporting those violations to United Nations bodies with strong enforcement mechanisms that can call on countries to act.
Tobacco Industry Lobbyists
What the industry is hiding: it’s influence in public health policy.
How they hide it: tobacco companies hire numerous lobbyists in every US state to lobby on behalf of their corporate financial interests, to the detriment of public health.
How we fight back: ASH publishes a U.S. Tobacco Industry Lobbyist and Lobbying Firm Registration tracker to compile all registered tobacco lobbyists across the U.S. This is needed because every U.S. state has a separate, unique registration system which makes it a challenge for advocates and policymakers to always be able to check who is lobbying on behalf of Big Tobacco’s interests instead of on behalf of public health interests.
On this World No Tobacco Day, it’s time to pull back the curtain once and for all. For decades, the tobacco industry has thrived on deception—masking addiction with flavor, cloaking pollution in greenwashing, dressing up disease with filters, parading over human rights abuses, and pulling policy strings behind closed doors.
But the truth is catching up.
Unmasking the appeal isn’t just a theme—it’s a rallying cry.
At ASH, we’re not just exposing the lies; we’re taking action, in courtrooms, at the UN, in state legislatures, and on the world stage. But we can’t do it alone.
Here’s how you can join us:
- Educate yourself and others: Share the facts, share this blog, and start conversations that cut through tobacco industry spin.
- Support tobacco control policies: Support menthol bans and advocate for cigarette filter bans.
- Hold the industry accountable: Use and promote tools like the ASH Lobbyist Tracker to shine a light on hidden influence.
- Donate or partner with ASH: Help us continue this critical work by supporting our mission by donating here or through collaboration.
The tobacco industry’s mask is slipping—but it’s up to all of us to make sure it comes off completely.
This May 31 and every day, stand with ASH.
Let’s unmask the tobacco industry—for good.
@ashorg It’s not the advice but the #greenwashing that’s the problem. #publichealth ♬ That advice enrages me – thekaseyjackson
