Fifth observatory of the tobacco industry facing the COVID19 pandemic

STOP, is an international monitoring organization that tracks the tobacco industry's interference practices in public policies. Since the start of the pandemic, the organization has noted a resurgence of activity by this industry in many countries around the world and publishes an observatory of the industry's actions every two weeks. This resurgence in the presence of the tobacco industry is closely linked to the Covid19 pandemic, which allows it to whitewash its image. This edition covers the period from May 30 to June 12, 2020.

On June 8, 2020, STOP also released this statement on industry responsibility: “ As COVID-19 costs mount, tobacco companies should be held accountable for smoking-related health harms " ; an analysis shared by Bloomberg Philanthropies' Director of Public Health, Dr. Kelly Henning: " The fight against Covid-19 should also be the fight against tobacco » appeared in this CNN editorial.

The main characteristics of the actions taken by the tobacco industry during the period covered were as follows:

• Industry response to accusations of profiteering from the pandemic: Following accusations of exploitation of the pandemic through donations, PMI and Imperial Tobacco responded by saying that governments had directly contacted them to supply ventilators to Greece and Ukraine and that these donations did not, in their view, constitute a violation of the WHO FCTC (art. 5.3).
• Industry concerns over pandemic-related financial losses: BAT noted that strict lockdown measures in Mexico, Argentina and South Africa had hit their profits.
• The trial against South Africa's tobacco ban began on 9 June 2020, with tobacco industry representatives and vaping interest groups arguing that the ban has fuelled the illicit cigarette trade in South Africa.
• Position Statement on the Therapeutic Effect of Nicotine: The Philip Morris Foundation for a Smoke-Free World continues to fund researchers studying the hypothesis of a protective effect of nicotine.

The next update will take place on July 2, 2020. In the meantime, the organization calls for vigilance from its readers to share data from its observatories but also to report new practices of the tobacco industry in the context of the current pandemic.

STOP Covid19 - Fifth Observatory (in English)

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