All Smoke, No Mirrors: A Global Look at the Tobacco Industry's Efforts to Prevent Smokefree Policies

Background: There is sufficient evidence that smoke-free policies are an effective means to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke and may reduce tobacco consumption, which poses a threat to the tobacco industry. The purpose of this study was to review the tactics employed worldwide by the tobacco industry to prevent and defeat policies to reduce public exposure to secondhand smoke and provide specific examples of each strategy. Methods: Data were also collected through review of newspapers, press releases, reports, and legal documents. Internal tobacco industry documents were searched using the following terms: secondhand smoke, SHS, environmental tobacco smoke/pollution, ETS, and ETP. Based on the initial results, names mentioned and adjacent Bates numbers were also searched.

Results: The tobacco industry has recycled a small set of strategies around the globe to defeat efforts to reduce the public's exposure to secondhand smoke. These strategies include: 1) refute scientific evidence on the dangers of secondhand smoke; 2) dispute published reports from scientific bodies; 3) develop and maintain tobacco industry allies; 4) influence public opinion and recommendations regarding secondhand smoke; 5) prevent, weaken, or destroy initiatives to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke; and 6) use litigation to discourage effective smoke-free policies.

Conclusion: Health advocates, academics and public officials should remain vigilant of tobacco industry efforts to impede policies to prevent exposure to secondhand smoke. Efforts to reveal the tobacco industry's flawed science and attempts to advance policy alternatives (eg ventilation) are necessary.