Industry accused of meddling in public health

Three medical experts have said there is ‘troubling evidence’ that the tobacco industry is bringing its influence to bear on some Asian governments and thereby undermining public health, according to a story in the Hindustan Times citing a paper in the latest issue of the British Medical Journal.

Indeed, British experts Nicholas S Hopkinson and Martin McKee, and K Srinath Reddy of the Public Health Foundation of India, reportedly said that some governments in Asia were complicit in protecting the interests of the tobacco industry.

The paper entitled, ‘Tobacco industry lobbying undermines public health in Asia’, identifies India, Pakistan and Laos as countries where the tobacco industry has targeted control policies.

‘The implementation of tobacco control measures is a political choice,’ the paper said.

‘Although tobacco control will improve the wellbeing of the populations that governments serve, the industry spares no attempt to deter, dilute, or delay effective measures for tobacco control, be it taxation or prominent pictorial health warnings.

‘There is troubling evidence that the tobacco industry is exerting undue influence in several Asian countries, in some cases with the complicity of governments, to thwart public health measures.’