Kenya: BAT pushes to sell nicotine pouches, health advocates say No
Health promotion advocates want the ministry to uphold the current ban on the products In Summary •The CS in September last year declared the registration of nicotine pouches commonly known as Lyft as illegal consequently temporarily ceased being in the market. •The poisons board had registered it as a pharmaceutical product. Tobacco control lobbyists have called on the Health...
US approves E-cigarette marketing as Kenya debates approach
This marks the first set of electronic nicotine delivery system products ever to be authorized by the FDA. In Summary • The FDA considered the risks and benefits to the population as a whole, including users and non-users of tobacco products, and importantly, youth. • Health CAS, Mercy Mwangangi, said that Kenya is yet to review its...
Kenya must step up bid to help smokers quit the killer habit
Nine in ten of Kenya’s 2.5 million smokers regret having taken up the habit, according to a report by the International Tobacco Control (ITC) in May. Yet it seems necessary support frameworks for smokers are insufficient or non-existent, with little effort made by relevant government bodies to help them quit. The Ministry of Health says smoking is a...
BAT’s UK headquarters oversaw and financed a South African corporate spy ring
High-level employees from British American Tobacco’s U.K. headquarters oversaw a corporate espionage ring in South Africa, buying expensive surveillance equipment that was later used to illegally spy on the company’s competitors, leaked documents show. Allegations that British American Tobacco’s (BAT) South African unit had bribed law enforcement agents to disrupt its competitors’ operations hit headlines...
Hiking tobacco taxes will help tame America’s most enduring epidemic
As the nation staggers through the pandemic, most remain oblivious to the epidemics that plagued Americans' health before Covid-19 struck -- and will continue to do so long after it subsides. The opioid crisis, obesity and the continuing toll from tobacco use are all critical public health threats. Of these, reducing the persistent use of...
Farmers appeal for representation in tobacco control confab next month
Farmers organizations appealed to the Philippine government to ensure they are given proper representation and their legitimate concerns are not ignored in the forthcoming conference on the global treaty on tobacco control beginning Nov. 8 to be held under the auspices of the World Health Organization. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is the country’s...
One Hundred Tobacco Control Experts Urge WHO to Adopt Harm Reduction
On October 18, 100 tobacco control experts called on the World Health Organization (WHO) to accept the reality of safer nicotine alternatives. The letter, which harshly criticizes the WHO for its hostile stance against tobacco harm reduction (THR), arrives ahead of a gathering of the 182 countries that belong to the health agency’s Framework Convention on Tobacco...
Government sets up expert panel on tobacco tax policy
The mandate of the group includes analyzing current tax structure of all forms of tobacco, including smokeless tobacco, and suggesting various tax rate models for consideration in the preparation of FY23 and future Union budgets. The government has set up an expert group led by a senior official in the health ministry to prepare...
