South Africa: Calls for stronger tobacco control as new study links smoking to Covid-19 deaths
Study supports Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma's temporary ban on tobacco sales as it established a link between smoking and Covid-19 complications. National Council Against Smoking (NCAS) says now is the time to tighten tobacco control in the country. New evidence shows a strong link between smoking and increased risks of severe Covid-19. According to UK Biobank research published in a leading...
‘Impossible to enforce’: Big Tobacco exploiting loopholes in European menthol ban
A breach of the menthol cigarette ban could potentially be a criminal offence, but nobody knows for sure what types are covered. Tobacco companies are finding loopholes in the Europe-wide menthol cigarette ban in order to keep selling products that can get new, younger smokers hooked on tobacco. Japan Tobacco International (JTI) – which owns Sterling, Benson...
Tobacco firm donation to Covid-19 kitty costs Kenya
It sank Kenya’s ranking in the Interference Index; the law is against such sponsorships In Summary •At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, a tobacco firm contributed Sh10.6 million to the kitty that had been established by President Uhuru Kenyatta. •As a result, the Kenya Tobacco Industry Interference Index released on Friday by the Consumer Information Network...
South Africa: Tobacco companies stepped up influence efforts during Covid, report finds
Firms increased charitable donations to the healthcare sector, and was ‘unnecessarily’ involved in fight against illicit trade in cigarettes, global industry watchdog says. The government’s efforts to limit the influence of the tobacco industry weakened during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report released on Tuesday by the global tobacco industry watchdog STOP. The 2021 Global...
African campaigners urge enhanced tobacco regulations amid health risks
The manufacturing, sale and consumption of tobacco products in Africa should be regulated in order to limit threats to public health and safety, campaigners said Tuesday. Leonce Sessou, executive secretary of African Tobacco Control Alliance, stressed that enactment of laws and public education is required to curb unhealthy use of tobacco products like cigarettes in...
Tobacco industry undermining Nigeria’s tobacco-control legislation – Group
"The tobacco industry enjoys consistent invitations from the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) to their meetings where supposed classified resolutions on standards are discussed, and agreements are reached." An advocacy group, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), has decried the interference of the tobacco industry in Nigeria with government policies, including policies meant to...
