The WHO Framework Convention: a bulwark against tobacco industry strategies

Adopted in 2005, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is one of the main international tools to protect public health from the ravages of tobacco use. This treaty, ratified by more than 180 countries, has included in its general obligations the protection of public policies from interference by the tobacco industry. Additional implementation guidelines based on clear principles and concrete measures have also been adopted by the Parties to this treaty in order to limit this interference in public policies.

A clear vision of the issues

The Framework Convention is based on a fundamental observation: There is a fundamental and irreconcilable conflict between the commercial interests of the tobacco industry and the protection of public health. This principle is recalled in the implementing guidelines for Article 5.3 of the Treaty, which requires signatory States to protect their tobacco control policies from any interference by the tobacco industry. The recommendations adopted include the rejection of any partnership with this industry, the prevention of conflicts of interest, the absence of any preferential treatment, and the limitation of interactions to what is strictly necessary. Transparency of interactions with public decision-makers is also part of this perspective.

This approach aims to counter an industry that, according to the WHO, promotes a product responsible for millions of deaths each year, major addiction and socio-economic problems such as household impoverishment.

An industry in search of reconquest

To circumvent these restrictions, the tobacco industry is developing sophisticated strategies. Among them, the instrumentalization of the notion of "harm reduction" through the marketing of new products such as heated tobacco, electronic cigarettes and nicotine pouches. These initiatives, often presented as solutions to reduce the harm of smoking, are denounced by experts as an attempt to divert attention from truly effective measures to reduce tobacco consumption.[1].

Tobacco on screen: disguised advertising?

The fight against tobacco industry strategies goes beyond laws and regulations in the strict sense. It extends to more indirect forms of influence such as the presence of tobacco in cultural productions. Although tobacco advertising has been banned in France since the Évin law, the overrepresentation of smoking in films through behavioral placements remains a public health issue. According to a survey by the Ligue contre le cancer, tobacco was visible in 90 % of the films analyzed between 2021 and 2024, for an average duration of 2.6 minutes per film. These scenes, often associated with positive qualities such as self-confidence or independence, particularly influence young people.

The data is alarming: young people aged 10 to 14 exposed to tobacco on screen have a 2.6 times higher risk of starting to smoke. In 2014, a study attributed 37% of smoking initiations to the representation of tobacco in films. Faced with these findings, experts are calling for stronger regulations, particularly by better regulating the representation of tobacco on screens.

RK

[1] https://www.lequotidiendumedecin.fr/specialites/addictologie/loms-face-lindustrie-du-tabac (accessed 11/28/2024)