Tobacco Industry Interference and public tobacco control policies during COVID-19 in Argentina: Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2021

IntroductionHistorical evidence, predominantly from high-income countries (HICs), shows that the tobacco industry uses a recurring set of arguments and techniques when opposing tobacco control policies. This data formed the basis of a model of tobacco industry political activity known as the policy dystopia model (PDM). The PDM has been widely used in tobacco control research and advocacy and has subsequently been shown relevant to other unhealthy commodities industries in both HICs and low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Before it can be validated as a generic tool for researching corporate influence on policy, one needs to determine whether the PDM successfully captures contemporary corporate political activities in LMICs.MethodWe conducted semistructured interviews with 22 LMIC-based advocates and used the transcripts as the primary data source. The discursive and instrumental taxonomies constituting the PDM served as the starting point for the coding framework. Using thematic analysis, we combined deductive and inductive coding to ensure we captured all strategies from the PDM and the interviews.ResultsThis study found that the tobacco industry uses a set of discursive and instrumental strategies that is largely consistent across LMICs and with the PDM. We identified several minor contextual nuances absent from the PDM. Some of these nuances were characteristic to individual countries, while others to LMICs more broadly. They included the argument that tobacco control policies unfairly punish reputable tobacco industry actors, and an emphasis on instrumental strategies centred around maintaining a good image, rather than rehabilitating a tarnished image as emphasised in the PDM.ConclusionsAllowing for the nuances identified in this study, the PDM has been found to be fit for purpose. The revised model should now be tested through in-depth LMIC case studies and could be used to facilitate comparative studies of unhealthy commodity industries’ political activities.

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Death at a discount: how the tobacco industry thwarted tobacco control policies in US military commissaries

Tobacco Control ◽

10.1136/tc.2006.017350 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 38-46 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

E. A Smith ◽

V. S Blackman ◽

R. E Malone

Keyword(s):

Tobacco Control ◽

Tobacco Industry ◽

Control Policies ◽

Us Military ◽

Tobacco Control Policies

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How to Deal with Tobacco Industry Opposition to Tobacco Control Policies

Tobacco and Health ◽

10.1007/978-1-4615-1907-2_39 ◽

1995 ◽

pp. 181-184

Author(s):

J.-Charles Rielle

Keyword(s):

Tobacco Control ◽

Tobacco Industry ◽

Control Policies ◽

Tobacco Control Policies

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Tactics of the tobacco industry in an Arab nation: a review of tobacco documents in Oman

Tobacco Control ◽

10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2021-056623 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. tobaccocontrol-2021-056623

Author(s):

Jawad A Al-Lawati ◽

Stella A Bialous

Keyword(s):

Tobacco Control ◽

Tobacco Industry ◽

Code Of Conduct ◽

Control Measures ◽

Health Warnings ◽

Government Officials ◽

Control Policies ◽

Public Health Policies ◽

Tobacco Control Policies ◽

Tobacco Epidemic

BackgroundFew studies have investigated tobacco industry interference in the tobacco control policies of Arab nations. This paper explores the tactics used by the industry to subvert tobacco control policies in Oman and offers lessons on how to prevent such interference in the future.MethodsWe searched the Truth Tobacco Industry Documents Archive using the word ‘Oman’, names of government institutions, policymakers and local tobacco distributors. Extracted data were noted chronologically by key elements of tobacco control measures. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Health Ministers’ Council resolutions on tobacco control were also reviewed.ResultsOut of 1020 tobacco documents located, 327 were closely related to policy interference. Documents revealed that the industry met key government officials, offered in-kind services, used local diplomatic missions to influence Omani policymakers, opposed smoking bans, delayed regulations to lower tar and nicotine content of cigarettes, and to require effective health warnings, circumvented a tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship ban and provided voluntary codes as an alternative to effective regulations. Additionally, industry representatives lobbied individual countries in the GCC to veto tax increments and defeat consensus on agreed resolutions of the Health Ministers’ Council.ConclusionThe tobacco industry interfered in all key public health policies aimed to reduce tobacco use in Oman. There is an urgent need for the Omani government to enforce the Civil Code of Conduct and develop guidelines for all policymakers through implementing Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to curb the tobacco epidemic.

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