OP03 Assessing the Evidence Base of Tobacco Industry Submissions to Public Consultations: The case of ‘plain Packaging’ of Tobacco Products in the UK

2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. A4.3-A5 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Hatchard ◽  
G J Fooks ◽  
K A Evans-Reeves ◽  
A Gilmore
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Tobacco Products ◽  
Plain Packaging ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Public Consultations

scholarly journals Editorial - Plain Packaging Special issue

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
The Honourable Nicola Roxon
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Research Front ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Political Debate ◽  
Great Pleasure ◽  
Tobacco Products ◽  
Plain Packaging ◽  
The World ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Front Groups

It gives me great pleasure to write a forward on this topic at a time when there is such a groundswell of international support for plain packaging of tobacco products.  World No Tobacco today in 2016 had as its tag line “Get ready for plain packaging” and the world’s health ministers are doing just that.When Australia became the first country in the world to remove all colours and logos on tobacco packs in 2011 – recognising their allure to young new smokers – the tobacco industry tried every move in their book to stop us.  Lobbying, donations, advertising campaigns, threats, dodgy research, front groups, overblown claims and legal action dominated our political debate for two years.  When all these local manoeuvres failed, the industry switched its effort to ensuring we were the only country to take this step.  Writing in November 2016, it is clear that those efforts, both local and international, have manifestly failed.  Country after country – France, the UK, Ireland, Canada, Norway, New Zealand – are implementing plain packaging, passing their laws or consulting with the community before introduction and many more countries will move this way in the coming months and years.Plain packaging of tobacco products is now truly an international movement.  It is an epidemic of the best sort, as countries catch on to its value, purpose and ease of implementation.  We will now see its introduction spread like wildfire around the world.

scholarly journals Introduction of standardised packaging and availability of illicit cigarettes: a difference-in-difference analysis of European Union survey data 2015–2018

Thorax ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony A Laverty ◽  
Christopher Millett ◽  
Nicholas S Hopkinson ◽  
Filippos T Filippidis
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Difference In Difference ◽  
Tobacco Products ◽  
Difference Analysis ◽  
Illicit Trade ◽  
European Union Countries ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Uk

Standardised packaging of tobacco products is intended to reduce the appeal of smoking, but the tobacco industry claims this increases illicit trade. We examined the percentage of people reporting being offered illicit cigarettes before and after full implementation of standardised packaging in the UK, Ireland and France and compared this to other European Union countries. Reported ever illicit cigarette exposure fell from 19.8% to 18.1% between 2015 and 2018 in the three countries fully implementing the policy, and from 19.6% to 17.0% in control countries (p for difference=0.320). Standardised packaging does not appear to increase the availability of illicit cigarettes.

scholarly journals Tobacco industry tactics in response to extensive tobacco control legislation in Israel

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Bar-Zeev ◽  
C Berg ◽  
S Kislev ◽  
H Geva ◽  
E Godinger ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Control ◽  
Print Media ◽  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Political Will ◽  
Tobacco Products ◽  
Point Of Sale ◽  
Legislative Reform ◽  
Plain Packaging ◽  
Shared Information ◽  
Cigarette Package

Abstract Issue Tobacco control in Israel has been lagging, and smoking rates have remained stable in the last decade (∼20%). In 2018, landmark legislation was passed to go into effect during 2019- 2020. The tobacco and vaping industry employed several tactics to circumvent and test the ability to enforce the new legislation. Examining industry responses to legislative reform in Israel may inform policy and enforcement internationally. Description of the Problem Resulting from strong political will, supportive media, and a strong coalition of tobacco control advocates, the legislation involves: 1) advertising bans in all media, excluding print press; 2) point-of-sales display bans; 3) plain packaging with textual health warning labels; and 4) extending the legislation to include also vaping products. Industry tactics to circumvent/test this legislation were communicated through an active social media group of tobacco control coalition members who shared information regarding such tactics in all geographical areas in Israel and via different media outlets. Results Various measures employed by the industry included, for example, print media advertisements with branded elements in the background (prohibited by law); new signs and display boxes for heated tobacco products and e-cigarettes, at the point-of-sale, that say “An alternative to cigarettes”; distributing branded tin cases for cigarettes; Highlighting different brands online and in print media using colors and fonts that are not allowed as part of plain packaging, and including branded elements inside the cigarette package Lessons Anything not specifically covered or detailed or verbiage that is open to interpretation provides an opening for the industry to circumvent the legislation intentions. It is crucial that legislation be as specific and detailed as possible, anticipate industry efforts to identify such 'loopholes', and compel industry compliance through efficient enforcement. Key messages In response to extensive tobacco control legislation in Israel, the tobacco industry employed various tactics to bypass legislative efforts. Tobacco control legislation and regulation need to use detailed wording to prevent alternative interpretations by the tobacco industry.

‘Both Sides of the Argument’? A critical review of existing evidence on the illicit trade in tobacco products in Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (e2) ◽  
pp. e141-e147
Author(s):  
Julia Smith ◽  
Sheryl Thompson ◽  
Kelley Lee
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Complex Problem ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Tobacco Products ◽  
Illicit Trade ◽  
Tobacco Control Policies ◽  
Transnational Tobacco Companies

IntroductionThe illicit trade in tobacco products (ITTP) is widely recognised as a substantial and complex problem in Canada. However, the independence of available data and quality of analyses remains unknown. Reliable and accurate data on the scale and causes of the problem are needed to inform effective policy responses.MethodsWe searched the scholarly and grey literature using keywords related to ITTP in Canada. We identified 26 studies published in English since 2008 that present original research drawing on primary data. We analysed these studies for their independence from the tobacco industry, methodology, findings and gaps in knowledge.ResultsThe study finds 42% of the literature reviewed has links to the tobacco industry. These studies provide insufficient methodological detail, present higher estimates of the volume of ITTP and attribute the causes to higher rates of tobacco taxation. The classification of all indigenous tobacco sales as illicit, by both industry linked and independent studies, contributes to overestimates and serves the interests of transnational tobacco companies. There is need for independent and comprehensive data on the ITTP in Canada over time, across population groups and geographies.ConclusionWhile there is evidence that the ITTP in Canada is a major and complex issue that requires effective tobacco control policies, there is a limited evidence base on which to develop such responses. This review finds industry-linked studies lack independence, employ biased methodologies and serve tobacco industry interests. Independent studies present more rigorous approaches, but primarily focus on youth and the province of Ontario.

scholarly journals Changes in roll-your-own tobacco and cigarette sales volume and prices before, during and after plain packaging legislation in the UK

2019 ◽  
pp. tobaccocontrol-2018-054734 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Opazo Breton ◽  
John Britton ◽  
Ilze Bogdanovica
Keyword(s):  
Linear Regression ◽  
Mean Difference ◽  
Downward Trend ◽  
Sales Volume ◽  
Average Price ◽  
Tobacco Products ◽  
Pack Size ◽  
Plain Packaging ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Tax Changes

BackgroundPlain packaging and minimum pack size legislation for tobacco products was introduced in the UK in May 2016, with a 1-year sell-off period until May 2017, during which both fully branded and plain packs of various sizes were legally available. This study investigates trends in prices of roll-your-own tobacco (RYO) before, during and after implementation of this legislation, and compares trends with those observed in the cigarette market.MethodsWe used Nielsen Scantrack data for the period from March 2013 to June 2018 to describe trends in UK inflation-adjusted prices and volumes of both RYO and cigarettes, and linear regression to estimate changes in prices associated with the introduction of plain packaging and the minimum pack sizes of 30 g RYO and 20 cigarettes.ResultsIn contrast to a downward trend in cigarette sales volumes, RYO volumes rose throughout the study period. By the time plain packs accounted for 75% or more of sales, the average price of products sold in equivalent pack sizes had increased, relative to average prices in the year before implementation and with adjustment for tax changes, from 34.9 to 38.8 pence per gram for RYO (mean difference 4.26, 95% CI 3.99 to 4.53 pence, 12% increase), and from 38.6 to 41.13 pence for cigarettes (mean difference 2.53, 95% CI 2.24 to 2.83 pence, 7% increase) per cigarette.ConclusionsNew legislation resulted in higher prices for RYO and manufactured cigarettes. However, sales volumes of RYO continued to increase throughout the study period, perhaps because RYO remains a less expensive means of smoking tobacco.

scholarly journals Quantile regression of tobacco tax pass-through in the UK 2013–2019. How have manufacturers passed through tax changes for different tobacco products?

2020 ◽  
pp. tobaccocontrol-2020-055931
Author(s):  
Luke Brian Wilson ◽  
Robert Pryce ◽  
Rosemary Hiscock ◽  
Colin Angus ◽  
Alan Brennan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quantile Regression ◽  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Tax Rates ◽  
Tobacco Products ◽  
Price Distribution ◽  
Tobacco Tax ◽  
Quantile Regression Analysis ◽  
Pass Through ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Tax Changes

BackgroundThe effectiveness of tax increases relies heavily on the tobacco industry passing on such increases to smokers (also referred to as ‘pass-through’). Previous research has found heterogeneous levels of tax pass-through across the market segments of tobacco products available to smokers. This study uses retail sales data to assess the extent to which recent tax changes have been passed on to smokers and whether this varies across the price distribution.MethodsWe use panel data quantile regression analysis on Nielsen commercial data of tobacco price and sales in the UK from January 2013 to March 2019 combined with official UK tax rates and inflation to calculate the rate of tax pass-through for factory made (FM) cigarettes and roll your own (RYO) tobacco.ResultsFollowing increases in the specific tax payable on tobacco, we find evidence of overshifting across the price distribution for both FM and RYO. The rate of the overshift in tax increased the more expensive the products were. This was consistent for FM and RYO. Additionally, our findings suggest that the introduction of standardised packaging was not followed by changes in how the tobacco industry responded to tax increases.ConclusionsFollowing the repeated introduction of increases in specific tobacco tax as well as standardised packaging, we show that the tobacco industry applies techniques to keep the cheapest tobacco cheaper relative to the more expensive products when passing on tax increases to smokers.

scholarly journals Making the Case for Canada to Join the Tobacco Plain Packaging Revolution

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Becky Freeman
Keyword(s):  
Small Business ◽  
Tobacco Use ◽  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Brand Names ◽  
Compelling Evidence ◽  
Health Warnings ◽  
Tobacco Products ◽  
Illicit Trade ◽  
Plain Packaging ◽  
Harmful Effects

This article makes the case for introducing plain packaging reforms in Canada. Australia successfully introduced these measure in 2012, and other nations have adopted similar laws, in light of compelling evidence that plain packaging lessens the appeal of tobacco products, increases the effectiveness of health warnings and curbs the use of packaging to mislead consumers about the harmful effects of tobacco use. Tobacco industry arguments that plain packaging does not work, increases illicit trade, presents a slippery slope to over regulating other products, and hurts small business are unfounded. The proposed Canadian reforms open the door to improving on plain packaging legislation by increasing the restrictions on: acceptable brand names, the internal pack design and the appearance of the cigarette itself.

Finished with Menthol: An Evidence-Based Policy Option That Will Save Lives

2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (S1) ◽  
pp. 41-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joelle M. Lester ◽  
Stacey Younger Gagosian
Keyword(s):  
Tobacco Industry ◽  
Local Authority ◽  
The United States ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Policy Option ◽  
Tobacco Products ◽  
Menthol Cigarettes ◽  
Youth And Young Adults ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Flavored Tobacco

Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States, killing approximately 480,000 people each year. This crushing health burden falls disproportionately, and recent CDC data shows that large disparities in adult cigarette smoking remain. One factor in these disparities is the use of flavors. Menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco products are used at higher rates by vulnerable populations including youth and young adults, African Americans, women, Hispanics and Asian Americans. This is no accident; the tobacco industry has long targeted these same groups. Given FDA's failure to act to ban flavored tobacco products, states and municipalities are considering taking matters into their own hands to protect their communities from these dangerous products. The authors will explore state and local authority to restrict the sales of these products and review the evidence base indicating that removing flavored tobacco products – and menthol combustible products in particular - from the market would significantly reduce the toll of illness and death caused by these products.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document