Globally Reported Tobacco Industry Interference during COVID-19 Pandemic – November 2021

This is a continuation of our page on Globally Reported Tobacco Industry Interference during COVID-19 Pandemic and summarises the incidents reported during the month of November 2021. This page will be continuously updated as and when incidents related to the respective month are reported.

The Summary of Interference Reported as of 30th November 2021

Table 1 summarises the incidents reported since 13th March 2020, the date of initiation of the first Lock Down in Sri Lanka, the day we started monitoring Globally Reported Tobacco Industry Interference during COVID-19 Pandemic.

Table 1: Summary of reported TII during COVID-19 Pandemic

Tobacco Company	Reported Countries	Number of Incidents
British American Tobacco (BAT)	South Africa, United States of America (USA), United Kingdom (UK), Brazil, Kenya, Bangladesh, Croatia, Mexico, Nigeria, Honduras, Russia, Malaysia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Greece, Canada, Italy, Ireland, Egypt, New Zealand, Philippines, Belarus, Belgium, Australia, Iran, Romania, Namibia, Pakistan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia, France, Japan, Myanmar	196
Philip Morris International (PMI)	Brazil, Costa Rica, Greece, Turkey, Italy, Philippines, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Georgia, Russia, Canada, Burkina Faso, Denmark, Pennsylvania, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Japan, Astypalea, La Graciosa, United States, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Nigeria, Romania, Dubai, Australia	103
Altria group	United Sates of America (USA), Canada, Switzerland	71
Japan Tobacco International (JTI)	United Kingdom (UK), Bangladesh, Turkey, Malaysia, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Zambia, Japan, Romania, Germany, Cambodia, Greece, Iran, Luxembourg, Nigeria, Malawi, Tanzania, United State of America (USA)	72
Imperial Tobacco	Russia, Egypt, Ukraine, Greece, Czech Republic, United States	33
ITC Limited India	India	73
Korea Tobacco Ginseng Corporation (KT&G)	Indonesia, Turkey, Russia, Armenia, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan	7
Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC (CTC)	Sri Lanka	12
Reynolds American	United Sates of America (USA)	7
Universal Cooperation	United Sates of America (USA)	2
VMR Products	United Sates of America (USA)	2
RJ Reynolds Tobacco	United Sates of America (USA)	5
Godfrey Phillips India	India	4
DJarum	Indonesia	2
PT HM Sampoerna	Indonesia	1
Hongyunhonghe Tobacco (Group)	-	2
7 HILLS Manikchand Products Private Limited	India	2
Deccan Tobacco	India	1
Vinataba Tobacco Company	Vietnam	1
International Tobacco Company	Nigeria	1
LT Group	Philippines	1
China Tobacco	China, Latin America	4
Gamucci	United Kingdom, United States of America (USA), Asia and Africa	1
JUUL Labs	United States of America (USA)	6
Swedish Match	Sweden	3
Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corporation (PMFTC)	Philippines	2
Ferio Tego Cigar Company	United States of America (USA)	1
R.J Reynolds Vapor Company	United States of America (USA)	1
Gold Leaf Tobacco Corporation	South Africa	1
Barco Trading Company	Angola	1
Pan Africa Tobacco Group	Angola	1
Company not specified or interference via Front Groups	United Arab Emirates, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Malaysia, Australia, Lebanon, Senegal, Sri Lanka, France, Myanmar, India, Chile, South Africa, Kenya, Bhutan, Philippines, Greece	43

Week 86: 1st November – 7th November 2021

• Philip Morris International (PMI) was accused of sponsoring a publication on nicotine vaping products in the Australian Journal of Pharmacy on 6th October 2021. Chief Pharmacist of the Australasian College of Pharmacy, a professional organisation that delivers educational and research programmes in Australia, had reportedly authored the article, which was subsequently removed from circulation in November 2021.

Tobacco industry is known for producing their own “evidence” and manipulate science to influence related public health policies and tobacco control actions.

• Philip Morris International (PMI) declared their support for the UK government’s plan to issue medical license for electronic cigarettes and other inhaled nicotine containing products (NCPs). UK will become the first country in the world to issue e-cigarettes via a prescription as a medicine.

Image 1: PMI declaring their support for the UK government’s plan to issue medical license for smoke free products.

• Philip Morris International (PMI) announced a “Low-Carbon Transition Plan (LCTP)”, reportedly a plan for environmental sustainability of the company, while shifting to heated tobacco products from the combustible cigarettes products. The statement further included that they are hoping to achieve carbon neutrality in operations by the year 2025.

Plethora of evidence exist on how cigarettes and its manufacturing process negatively impact the environment including global warming and, thus, the human health.

• Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a global network of investigative journalists exposing crime and corruption in the world, revealed that Japan Tobacco International (JTI) has introduced 66 new products containing a higher menthol level in 19 European countries, a few months prior to the menthol cigarette ban imposed in May 2020.
• Japan Tobacco International (JTI) has launched a new 50 g package of “Sterling Essential Rolling Tobacco” in UK reportedly due to increased demand for Roll Your Own (RYO) tobacco products.
• TA Securities Holdings, a stockbroking company that provides finance and investment research services, announced a revenue growth of 7.3% for British American Tobacco (BAT) Malaysia in the first 9 months of 2021. It further reported a 7% growth of cigarette sales volume in 2021 compared to 2020.
• British American Tobacco (BAT) Japan submitted a proposal to the ruling party of the government to increase tax on tobacco products in 2022 tax reformation. The request reportedly was to increase the tax on heated tobacco products in a lower rate than the cigarettes, as the BAT plans to shift their trade to heated products from the cigarettes.
• The head of public affairs and the company secretary of British American Tobacco (BAT) Bangladesh, Azizur Rahman, has been elected as the Senior Vice President of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries of Bangladesh (ICSB). ICSB is the “only recognised professional body to develop, promote and regulate the profession of Chartered Secretary in Bangladesh” as stated in their website.
• British American Tobacco (BAT) Bangladesh jointly won the first place in "President's Award for Industrial Development 2019" under the large industry category. The awards are reportedly conferred “for their contribution to the private sector, employment generation and economy of the country”. President Abdul Hamid is to attend the virtual award ceremony as reported by the media.