The tobacco lobby disguised as a citizens' movement to promote its interests

An investigation carried out by Le Monde and The Investigative Desk (Netherlands)[1], reveals the alliance between the tobacco lobby, pro-vaping consumer groups and networks of American oil magnates to prevent regulation of new tobacco and nicotine products. This 3^e part of the collaborative investigation #BigTobacco21 launched in November 2020 aims to highlight the tobacco industry's strategies for the 21st century^e century.

By funding "consumer movements," the tobacco industry is trying to interfere in political discussions and weaken binding international agreements on tobacco and nicotine products.

The Tobacco Industry's Visible Hand on Pro-Vaping Groups

The World Vapers' Alliance (WVA) and the Consumer Choice Center (CCC) present themselves as citizens' movements that defend the rights of consumers of new nicotine products, such as electronic cigarettes. In reality, they are front groups funded by the main cigarette manufacturers: British American Tobacco, Philip Morris International, Altria and Japan Tobacco International. This support is rarely highlighted by the WVA and the amounts received remain secret. These two associations act at the European Union level, particularly with MEPs, to get the message across that these new products are less harmful and should not be regulated like traditional cigarettes (maintaining favorable taxation, absence of regulation on flavors, etc.).

Earlier this year, the World Vapers' Alliance announced the launch of a 'Vape Bus', which is currently touring Europe to educate people about tobacco 'harm reduction'. The message is simple: vaping could save up to 19 million lives in Europe alone. In reality, this marketing ploy by British American Tobacco (BAT) is a way of supporting its advocacy for its own products and denouncing government repression and 'alienating' regulations on e-cigarettes. In funding these 'consumer movements', the tobacco industry is specifically trying to avoid binding international agreements on new tobacco and nicotine products.

A complex nebula of alliances

The stakes of these alliances are not only financial. This opaque nebula is working to spread an ideology hostile to government intervention: libertarianism. These consumer groups, secretly financed by the tobacco lobby and the networks of American oil billionaires, oppose government intervention in public policies and seek to sow doubt among the general public and decision-makers.

The investigation reveals, among other things, the links between the WVA, the CCC and wealthy climate-sceptic oil magnates: the Koch brothers of Koch Industry, the largest private company in the United States. Koch Industry has been directly associated with the tobacco industry since the 1980s through Citizens for a Sound Economy (CSE), a conservative political group founded in 1984 by Charles and David Koch that has carried out numerous lobbying campaigns for the tobacco industry.

Koch Industry has invested in its foundation for decades to limit wealth taxes but also to spread its ideas. The Koch brothers have gathered around them other billionaires and organizations to form a network called "Kochtopus" (from the English word "octopus"). Several hundred members are grouped together in a network, Atlas Network. The investigation also identified 17 partner organizations of Atlas Network engaged in lobbying or propaganda actions for "harm reduction" and vaping. Among the partners of this network is the CCC, which receives funding from other partners linked to the Koch brothers. The CCC itself includes the World Vapers' Alliance.

WHO and Conference of the Parties at the heart of coordinated network attacks

These lobby groups want governments to integrate the concept of tobacco harm reduction into international and national policies. This fits perfectly with the overall strategy of manufacturers who see new sources of revenue in alternatives to tobacco while benefiting from the lowest possible taxes and a light regulatory environment.

As the 9th Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control gets underway, the WHO is under attack from the tobacco industry and its many allies. The WHO is being criticized for not opening up its negotiations and for not integrating the concept of "harm reduction" into the discussions, and in particular for not allowing consumer groups to be part of national delegations or to have observer status.

In an attempt to secure a seat at the table, pro-industry movements are trying to include “harm reduction” experts and vapers in official delegations, particularly the UK delegation, which has been exempted by Brexit from the European Union’s commitments to the Framework Convention. In spring 2021, Matt Ridley, a Conservative MP and vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Parallel Group on Vaping, called on the government to consider “significantly reducing UK funding” if the UK delegation to COP9 was not “reinforced” with harm reduction “experts”. A similar request, coming from the CCC and other tobacco industry-funded signatories, among others, was made to US President Joe Biden for the US delegation to advocate for “harm reduction”.

In late October, a group of "one hundred experts in nicotine science and policy" sent an open letter to COP heads of delegation asking them to integrate tobacco harm reduction into their deliberations.[2].

Keywords: Lobby, tobacco industry, vaping, Koch, WHO, COP, interference,

AE

[1] Stéphane Horel (with Ties Keyzer, Tim Luimes, Eva Schram from “The Investigative Desk” and datacitron), Vaping: the real millions of fake consumer organizations, Le Monde, November 3, 2021, consulted on November 5, 2021

[2] Generation Without Tobacco, In an open letter, "one hundred specialists" on nicotine raise the question of risk reduction, October 21, 2021, accessed November 5, 2021