“Tobacco is a plague on humanity"
ASH Scotland is challenging the Scottish Parliament to dismiss tobacco company's attempts to disrupt the development of progressive health policies.
The chairty is today (27 February) marking the 20-year anniversary of the World Heath Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) coming into force by making the call on politicians.
It comes on the back of the Scottish Parliament’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee having twice invited tobacco industry connected submissions to its scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill Legislative Consent Memorandum in the last eight months.
The FCTC – one of the most widely embraced UN treaties in history – is the first ever public health treaty which provides a legal framework and a comprehensive package of evidence-based tobacco control measures underpinned by international law.
WHO describes tobacco industry interests as ‘fundamentally and irreconcilably opposed’ to the aims of public health’ and, under FCTC Article 5.3., tobacco company's and their vested or commercial interests are permitted to be consulted only after health policies have been fully developed, and engagement should be limited to the extent necessary to implement regulations.
Sheila Duffy, chief executive of ASH Scotland, said: “Today is a special day for the global tobacco control community as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the game-changing Framework Convention on Tobacco Control coming into force.
“Although we are delighted that both the UK Government and the Scottish Government support the principles of the FCTC, both the UK and Scottish Parliaments still have much to do in closing out tobacco industry attempts at interference.
“Big Tobacco should have absolutely no input when health policies are being discussed and the doors at Holyrood should be firmly shut to their attempts to distort public health debates and disrupt or delay regulation of addictive health-harming products. They have a role only in terms of the implementation of regulations.
“It has been deeply disappointing to see the Scottish Parliament’s Health Committee having twice opened its doors to risk interference by the tobacco industry’s profit-motivated business associates and grantees in the last eight months. These businesses are not public health stakeholders and should never be treated as such.
“The tobacco industry itself, and through its business associates, consistently tries to undermine public health efforts by claiming during its lobbying against tobacco control policies to be part of the solution to the problems it created, whilst at the same time continuing to aggressively target marketing of addictive health harming products at young people.
“As we mark this anniversary, we urge the Scottish Parliament to send a strong message that Scotland won’t risk tarnishing our positive reputation in the eyes of the global tobacco control community through ensuring our democratic processes, including deliberations by Holyrood’s Health Committee, will no longer invite tobacco industry connected submissions.”
In marking the 20-year anniversary of the FCTC coming into force, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said: “Tobacco is a plague on humanity – the leading cause of preventable death and disease globally.
“The WHO FCTC has helped to save millions of lives through strengthened tobacco control measures around the world. The Convention marks a milestone in public health and international law. We continue to call on countries to further strengthen and implement its measures.”
