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Smith TT, McClure EA, Halpern-Felsher B. Introduction to special issue of addictive behaviors: Tobacco regulatory science. Addict Behav 2023; 142:107671. [PMID: 36905899 DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2023.107671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tracy T Smith
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina and Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, United States; Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, United States
| | - Erin A McClure
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina and Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, United States; Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, United States
| | - Bonnie Halpern-Felsher
- REACH Lab, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, United States.
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Alebshehy R, Silver K, Chamberlain P. A “willingness to be orchestrated”: Why are UK diplomats working with tobacco companies? Front Public Health 2023; 11:977713. [PMID: 37006556 PMCID: PMC10064339 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.977713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
BackgroundThe tobacco epidemic is global and addressing it requires global collaboration. International and national policies have been adopted to promote collaboration for tobacco control, including an obligation on diplomatic missions to protect public health from the vested interests of the tobacco industry. However, incidents of diplomats engaging with the tobacco industry are still occurring despite these regulations. This paper presents a case study of a British ambassador actions, and it points to some of the challenges researchers face in monitoring such incidents.MethodsThe incident studied in this paper was first identified through regular media monitoring conducted by the Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath. The incident was further investigated by using the tools made available by the United Kingdom (UK) Freedom of Information Act, including submitting a request, asking for internal review, and submitting a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office.ResultsWe identified clear evidence of the UK ambassador to Yemen opening a cigarette factory, part owned by British American Tobacco (BAT), in Jordan. Our investigation revealed a lack of documentation of this and similar incidents of interaction between diplomats and the tobacco industry. We raise concerns about the actions of diplomats which contravene both national and international policies.DiscussionMonitoring and reporting such activities produces several challenges. Diplomats' interactions with the tobacco industry represent a major concern for public health as such interactions seem to be systematically repeated. This paper calls for action to better implement national and international policies to protect the public health including in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
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Affiliation(s)
- Raouf Alebshehy
- Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
| | - Karin Silver
- Department for Health, University of Bath, Bath, United Kingdom
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