Tobacco and Covid-19: promoting quitting aids VS. industry practices

After 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tobacco industry is showing that it knows how to adapt and take advantage of every exceptional situation. States are also reacting: the United States is encouraging smoking cessation among the most disadvantaged populations.

The global crisis triggered by the pandemic has not calmed the tobacco industry's ardor, quite the contrary, as highlighted in an article published on The Lancet website[1].

Tobacco industry on the lookout

Accustomed to seizing the latest trends and exploiting historical events, this industry has deployed significant efforts since the beginning of the pandemic to try to profit from the crisis and minimize its losses. "They also wanted to protect themselves from any potential fallout from a pandemic caused by a respiratory virus.", comments Tom Hird, a researcher at the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath. In the name of corporate social responsibility (CSR), manufacturers have thus multiplied health assistance initiatives for states, offering them, with great advertising, masks (Costa Rica) and protective equipment (Bengladesh), tests (Indonesia), ventilators (Greece) and even financial contributions (Romania, Italy, Ukraine, India).

These initiatives, mainly aimed at the countries with the highest smoking rates, have the particular aim of subsequently restricting the measures of protection against smoking that these countries thought they would or could have taken. While the richest countries most involved in tobacco control have been able to use Article 5.3 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) to keep the industry at a distance, the most economically fragile countries have had more difficulty refusing these offers. Manufacturers have also financed research that supports the hypothesis of a protective effect of nicotine[2], so far unproven, in order to promote their e-cigarettes on social networks in parallel[3] or their heated/grilled tobacco products. "It distracts from the terrible respiratory damage caused by smoking", adds Tom Hird.

Vigilance of some legislators

These industry tactics have not left legislators indifferent. American elected officials have thus summoned Philip Morris International (PMI) and British American Tobacco (BAT) to explain their lack of ethics in flooding social networks with advertisements for electronic cigarettes.1].

More recently, two senators, one Democrat, the other Republican, defended a bill to guarantee free access to smoking cessation tools during the pandemic for the most vulnerable populations who benefit from medical assistance.4]. This law, applauded by health professionals, aims in particular to help the populations most vulnerable to tobacco, who have also been the most affected by the epidemic. A study conducted by Medicaid has shown, for example, that each dollar invested in smoking cessation saves at least three dollars, by avoiding many hospitalizations.

Social inequalities remain aggravating factors

The assessment of the risks incurred by smokers – and passive smokers – in the face of SARS-Cov-2 has not yet been formally established, but very strongly suggests more severe consequences for smokers than for non-smokers[5]. The less well-off social categories are less equipped to face this situation: they smoke more than other socio-professional categories, are more affected by smoking-related illnesses and have more difficulty quitting smoking; they have also suffered more from the economic consequences of the health crisis[6]. It therefore seems not only logical, but essential to facilitate access to all means enabling them to stop smoking. The advice to stop smoking to stay healthy and better get through the health crisis can, however, be addressed to all smokers, regardless of their status. The efforts made by the tobacco industry to fuel doubts and divert attention should not make us forget that to date, the smoking epidemic, with its eight million annual deaths, kills more than that linked to the coronavirus.

Keywords: COVID-19, tobacco industry, CSR, e-cigarette.

©Tobacco Free Generation

M.F.

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[1] Khan Burki T, The Lancet – Respiratoy Medicine, Tobacco industry capitalizes on the COVID-19 pandemic. Published on July 29, 2021, consulted on August 10, 2021. [2] Génération Sans Tabac, Nicotine and Covid: an undeclared conflict of interest invalidates a studye. Published on April 28, 2021, accessed on August 10, 2021. [3] Ramamurthi D, Chau C, Jackler R, Exploitation of the COVID-19 pandemic by e-cigarette marketers. Tob Control 2020;0:1–4. [4] Matthew L. Myers, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Tobacco-Free Kids Strongly Supports the Quit Because of COVID-19 Act that Will Expand Medicaid and CHIP Coverage for Tobacco Cessation Treatments. Published on August 6, 2021, accessed on August 10, 2021. [5] Thomas D, Berlin I, Covid-19 and smoking, Archives of Heart and Vessel Diseases - Practice. 2021 Jan; 2021(294): 26–29. Published online December 2, 2020, accessed April 26, 2020. [6] Barhoumi M, Jonchery A, Lombardo P, Le Minez S, Mainaud T, Raynaud E, Pailhé A, Solaz A, Pollak C, INSEE. Social inequalities put to the test by the health crisis: an assessment of the first lockdown. Published on December 3, 2020, accessed on August 11, 2021. National Committee Against Smoking |