Tobacco interests or the public interest: 20 years of industry strategies to undermine airline smoking restrictions

Objectives

To understand the evolution of 20 years of tobacco industry strategies to undermine federal restrictions of smoking on aircraft in the United States.

Design

We searched and analysed internal tobacco industry records, public documents, and other related research.

Results

The industry viewed these restrictions as a serious threat to the social acceptability of smoking. Its initial efforts included covert letter‐writing campaigns and lobbying of the airline industry, but with the emergence of proposals to ban smoking, the tobacco companies engaged in ever increasing efforts to forestall further restrictions. Tactics to dominate the public record became especially rigorous. The industry launched an aggressive public relations campaign that began with the promotion of industry sponsored petition drives and public opinion surveys. Results from polling research that produced findings contrary to the industry''s position were suppressed. In order to demonstrate smoker outrage against a ban, later efforts included the sponsorship of smokers'' rights and other front groups. Congressional allies and industry consultants sought to discredit the science underlying proposals to ban smoking and individual tobacco companies conducted their own cabin air quality research. Faced with the potential of a ban on all domestic flights, the industry sought to intimidate an air carrier and a prominent policymaker. Despite the intensification of tactics over time, including mobilisation of an army of lobbyists and Congressional allies, the tobacco industry was ultimately defeated.

Conclusions

Our longitudinal analysis provides insights into how and when the industry changed its plans and provides public health advocates with potential counterstrategies.     

Tobacco industry strategy to undermine tobacco control in Finland

Objective: To identify and explain tobacco industry strategy in undermining tobacco control measures in Finland and results of these interferences in tobacco policy development during the 1980s and early 1990s.

Methods: Tobacco industry documents, which have been publicly available on the internet as a result of litigation in the USA, were analysed. Documents were sought by Finland and by names of organisations and tobacco control activists. Documents were accessed and assessed between September 2000 and November 2002. Tactics of the tobacco industry activities were categorised as presented by Saloojee and Dagli.

Results: The international tobacco companies utilised similar strategies in Finland as in other industrial markets to fight tobacco control and legislation, the health advocacy movement, and litigation. These activities slowed down the development and implementation of the Tobacco Act in Finland. However, despite the extensive pressure, the industry was not able to prevent the most progressive tobacco legislation in Europe from being passed and coming into force in Finland in 1977 and in 1995.

Conclusion: Denying the health hazards caused by tobacco—despite indisputable scientific evidence—decreased the credibility of the tobacco industry. Strategy of denial was falsely chosen, as health advocacy groups were active both in society and the parliamentary system. The strong influence of the tobacco industry may have in fact increased the visibility of tobacco control in Finland as the litigation process was also drawing attention to negative health effects of tobacco. Therefore the tobacco industry did not manage to convince public opinion. However, the tobacco industry did obtain experience in Finland in how to object to tobacco control measures.

     

第57届烟草科学研究会议简介

烟草科学研究会议(Tobacco Science and Research Conference,TSRC)是世界烟草界专业性强、技术水平较高的学术性会议。第57届TSRC会议于9月21日至9月24日在美国的弗吉尼亚州诺佛克市举行。中国代表团一行9人参加。会上共发表82篇学术论文,其中特邀论文4篇,分组论文68篇,墙报论文10篇,我国发表论文9篇。这次会议研究领域广泛深入,反映出了世界烟草研究发展中遇到的困难和问题,体现了世界烟草研究发展的动态和前沿,会议圆满成功,取得了预期效果。      

Tobacco industry litigation strategies to oppose tobacco control media campaigns

Objective

To document the tobacco industry''s litigation strategy to impede tobacco control media campaigns.

Methods

Data were collected from news and reports, tobacco industry documents, and interviews with health advocates and media campaign staff.

Results

RJ Reynolds and Lorillard attempted to halt California''s Media Campaign alleging that the campaign polluted jury pools and violated First Amendment rights because they were compelled to pay for anti‐industry ads. The American Legacy Foundation was accused of violating the Master Settlement Agreement''s vilification clause because its ads attacked the tobacco industry. The tobacco companies lost these legal challenges.

Conclusion

The tobacco industry has expanded its efforts to oppose tobacco control media campaigns through litigation strategies. While litigation is a part of tobacco industry business, it imposes a financial burden and impediment to media campaigns'' productivity. Tobacco control professionals need to anticipate these challenges and be prepared to defend against them.     

第八届世界印刷大会讲演荟萃(一)

<正>在第八届世界印刷大会上,有20名讲演者从不同的角度对于世界印刷市场的现状与今后的发展趋势、经营获利的模式,发表了各种不同的见解与预测。对于印刷产业的未来,正如会议主席、主持人克利斯·西克斯先生所言:"印刷使所有的人都能够阅读,我不相信今后的世界将会是一个没有纸张的世界!"下面将各位代表讲演中主要观点与提供研究的统计数据做一扼要的介绍,供业内同行在策划自身企业中长期发展计划时参考     

Tobacco industry manipulation of the hospitality industry to maintain smoking in public places

OBJECTIVE: To describe how the tobacco industry used the "accommodation" message to mount an aggressive and effective worldwide campaign to recruit hospitality associations, such as restaurant associations, to serve as the tobacco industry's surrogate in fighting against smoke-free environments. METHODS: We analysed tobacco industry documents publicly available on the internet as a result of litigation in the USA. Documents were accessed between January and November 2001. RESULTS: The tobacco industry, led by Philip Morris, made financial contributions to existing hospitality associations or, when it did not find an association willing to work for tobacco interests, created its own "association" in order to prevent the growth of smoke-free environments. The industry also used hospitality associations as a vehicle for programmes promoting "accommodation" of smokers and non-smokers, which ignore the health risks of second hand smoke for employees and patrons of hospitality venues. CONCLUSION: Through the myth of lost profits, the tobacco industry has fooled the hospitality industry into embracing expensive ventilation equipment, while in reality 100% smoke-free laws have been shown to have no effect on business revenues, or even to improve them. The tobacco industry has effectively turned the hospitality industry into its de facto lobbying arm on clean indoor air. Public health advocates need to understand that, with rare exceptions, when they talk to organised restaurant associations they are effectively talking to the tobacco industry and must act accordingly.     

中国食品添加剂和配料协会第四届会员代表大会纪要

中国食品添加剂和配料协会第四届会员代表大会于2009年3月24日在上海光大国际酒店隆重举行.全国政协常委、中国轻工业联合会副会长潘蓓蕾女士,中国轻工业联合会人事教育部副主任徐祥楠,中国食品添加剂和配料协会第三届理事会名誉理事长尤新、理事长吕坚东、常务副理事长兼秘书长齐庆中以及协会各副理事长单位、常务理事单位、理事单位及会员代表,协会各专业委员会的专家、学者,以及海内外会员单位的代表350人出席了大会.     

第八届世界印刷大会讲演荟萃(二)

三、“世界印刷业的现状——世界主要印刷市场发展趋势的综述”(美国印刷和电气工业协会专职顾问、Mason咨询有限公司总裁丹尼斯·梅森)丹尼斯·梅森先生将印刷工业比作一颗有58个立面的南非钻石,必须从多方位、多角度地进行考察,才能有一个全面的了解,才能扬长避短。他在讲演中对比了发达国家和发展中国家之间在各细分市场发展方面的异同和特点。1.印刷工艺胶印工艺受到了巨大的冲击,在大部分发达国家,胶印特别是单张纸胶印机的数量正在下降,一些行业专家认为每年下降速度高达5%。在市场经济发达的国家,高端的印刷企业中已经采用CTP技术…     

Tobacco industry litigation to deter local public health ordinances: the industry usually loses in court

Background: The tobacco industry uses claims of state preemption or violations of the US Constitution in litigation to overturn local tobacco control ordinances.

Methods: Collection of lawsuits filed or threatened against local governments in the USA; review of previously secret tobacco industry documents; interviews with key informants.

Results: The industry is most likely to prevail when a court holds that there is explicit preemption language by the state legislature to exclusively regulate tobacco. The industry has a much weaker record on claims of implied preemption and has lost all challenges brought under equal protection claims in the cases we located. Although the tobacco industry is willing to spend substantial amounts of money on these lawsuits, it never won on constitutional equal protection grounds and lost or dropped 60% (16/27) of the cases it brought claiming implied state preemption.

Conclusions: Municipalities should continue to pass ordinances and be prepared to defend them against claims of implied preemption or on constitutional grounds. If the ordinance is properly prepared they will likely prevail. Health advocates should be prepared to assist in this process.

     

毛纺织业的生存环境和出路--海外专家的观点评介

当今世界毛纺织业正面临严酷的市场环境，羊毛大幅减产，毛纺织品滞销，并且受到合成纤维的严重挑战。而羊毛因其不可替代的优良特性，仍有发展前景，出路在于创新。渐进的创新见效快，影响较小；跳跃的创新，不能马上见效，但会有长远的影响。     

对《葡萄酒行业十二五规划》期待

不久前,工信部相关负责人向媒体透露,《葡萄酒行业十二五发展规划》将于今年6月出台,该规划出台将提高行业准入条件。具体体现在生产企业准入门槛的提高和经销环节准入门槛的提高。据媒体报道“葡萄酒酒庄的准入门槛将会提高,只有达到一定的标准才能有资格开设酒庄”。     

绍兴黄酒产业发展策略思考

为做大做强绍兴黄酒产业,该文提出了促进产业发展的5项策略：传统型与改良型产品两条腿走路、大众化与高端化并举、通过异地并购培育全国市场、找准和打造黄酒的独特卖点和定位、以工业文化旅游和政府层面推介促产业发展。     

Tobacco industry consumer research on socially acceptable cigarettes

Objective: To describe tobacco industry consumer research to inform the development of more "socially acceptable" cigarette products since the 1970s. Methods: Analysis of previously secret tobacco industry documents. Results: 28 projects to develop more socially acceptable cigarettes were identified from Philip Morris, RJ Reynolds, British American Tobacco, and Lorillard tobacco companies. Consumer research and concept testing consistently demonstrated that many smokers feel strong social pressure not to smoke, and this pressure increased with exposure to smoking restrictions. Tobacco companies attempted to develop more socially acceptable cigarettes with less visible sidestream smoke or less odour. When presented in theory, these product concepts were very attractive to important segments of the smoking population. However, almost every product developed was unacceptable in actual product tests or test markets. Smokers reported the complete elimination of secondhand smoke was necessary to satisfy non-smokers. Smokers have also been generally unwilling to sacrifice their own smoking satisfaction for the benefit of others. Many smokers prefer smoke-free environments to cigarettes that produce less secondhand smoke. Conclusions: Concerns about secondhand smoke and clean indoor air policies have a powerful effect on the social acceptability of smoking. Historically, the tobacco industry has been unable to counter these effects by developing more socially acceptable cigarettes. These data suggest that educating smokers about the health dangers of secondhand smoke and promoting clean indoor air policies has been difficult for the tobacco industry to counter with new products, and that every effort should be made to pursue these strategies.