🔗 Share this article

The tobacco company stands accused of “complete double standards” for lobbying against tobacco control measures in Africa that currently exist in the UK.

African regulatory opposition

Documents seen by journalists sent from the corporation's branch in Zambia to the nation's political leaders asks for proposals to prohibit tobacco marketing and promotional activities to be scrapped or postponed.

The company is attempting changes to a proposed legislation that include reductions in the recommended coverage of visual health alerts on cigarette packaging, the removal of restrictions on flavored smoking items, and diminished punishments for any firms breaking the new laws.

Health advocate reaction

“If I was a politician, I would say that they enable the defense of the British people and sustain the fatalities of the Zambian people,” commented the health advocate.

Over seven thousand citizens a year succumb to cigarette-linked health conditions, according to global health agency statistics.

The campaigner stated the letter was understood to have been copied to various ministerial offices and was in circulation among public interest organizations.

International corporate influence worries

The situation emerges alongside wider concerns about corporate intervention with health policies. Recently, international health experts sounded an alarm that the smoking product companies was escalating campaigns to undermine international regulations.

“Evidence exists of business advocacy globally. Corporate signatures are on deferred levy rises in Indonesia, stalled legislation in Zambia and even a diluted statement at the UN high-level meeting,” stated the corporate monitoring director.

Possible outcomes

“Should anti-smoking legislation doesn't get enacted because of this letter, the consequences may be suffered in lives of people who might potentially stop smoking.”

The tobacco control bill progressing through Zambia’s parliament includes measures that exceed UK legislation by also applying to e-cigarettes, and stipulating that pictorial cautions cover three-quarters of product packaging.

Corporate counter-proposals

In the letter, the corporation proposes this be decreased to 30% or 50% “following international guideline limits”, delayed for at least one year after the law is enacted.

Global health authorities specifically advises a alert needs to encompass at least half of the cigarette package face “and aim to cover as much of the main visible surfaces as possible”. Within Britain, warnings must cover sixty-five percent of a cigarette pack surfaces.

Flavor restrictions debate

The corporation requests the withdrawal of extensive controls on scented smoking items, arguing that it would lead smokers to “illicitly sold” products. It suggests restricting fewer varieties of “flavours based on desserts, candy, energy drinks, soft drinks and alcohol drinks”. Every scented tobacco product have been banned in the UK since 2020.

The pending regulation proposes sanctions for various offences “varying from a fraction of annual sales to 10 years’ imprisonment”.

Corporate defense

Through correspondence, the managing director of the Zambian branch states the company is dedicated to good corporate behaviour” and “supports the objectives of governments to reduce smoking incidence and the related medical consequences” but maintains that “specific rules can have negative and unanticipated results.”

Campaigner rebuttal

The campaigner argued the corporation's recommended amendments would “weaken this legislation so much that the required influence for it to produce permanent improvement in society will not be achieved”.

The fact that multiple comparable regulations were present in the UK, where BAT is headquartered, was “utter hypocrisy itself”, he stated.

“We live in a international community. Should I grow cigarettes in my property and gather the crop and market the products – and my children do not consume tobacco, but my community's youth consumes … to profit individually and all the generations of my children while my community's youth are dying … is in itself complete moral failure.”

Tobacco control legislation in the United Kingdom or other countries had not resulted in corporate closures, Chimbala said. “Legislation never shuts down the industry. Measures simply defend the people.”

Official corporate statement

The company representative said: “The corporation runs its activities following with relevant national regulations. Further, the company participates in the state's regulatory development in line with the appropriate structures which enable stakeholder participation in legislation creation.”

The firm positioned itself as “not resisting legislation”, the spokesperson stated, mentioning that young individuals should be shielded from access to tobacco and nicotine.

“We champion developing rules to achieve intended community wellbeing objectives, while recognizing the range of entitlements and duties on corporations, customers and associated groups,” the representative explained, noting that the corporation's recommendations “represent the situation of the local commercial environment and cigarette sector, which encompasses growing volumes of illegal commerce”.

The nation's ministry of economic activities and commercial operations was approached for comment.