School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, 3630 Promenade Sir William Osler, Montreal, QCH3G 1Y5, Canada.
School of Global Studies, Thammasat University, Pratumtani, Thailand.
Bull World Health Organ. 2024 Jan 1;102(1):58-64. doi: 10.2471/BLT.23.290219. Epub 2023 Oct 31.
Protecting policy-making from tobacco industry influence is central to effective tobacco control governance. The inclusion of industry actors as stakeholders in policy processes remains a crucial avenue to corporate influence. This influence is reinforced by the idea that the tobacco industry is a legitimate partner to government in regulatory governance. Addressing the influence of the tobacco industry demands a focus on the government institutions that formalize relationships between industry and policy-makers. Industry involvement in government institutions is particularly relevant in tobacco-growing countries, where sectors of government actively support tobacco as an economic commodity. In this paper, we discuss how controlling tobacco industry influence requires unique consideration in tobacco-growing countries. In these countries, there is a diverse array of companies that support tobacco production, including suppliers of seeds, equipment and chemicals, as well as transportation, leaf buying and processing, and manufacturing companies. The range of companies that operate in these contexts is particular and so is their engagement within political institutions. For governments wanting to support alternatives to tobacco growing (Article 17 of the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control), we illustrate how implementing Article 5.3, aimed at protecting tobacco control policies from tobacco industry interference, is fundamental in these countries. Integrating Article 5.3 with Article 17 will (i) strengthen policy coherence, ensuring that alternative livelihood policies are not undermined by tobacco industry interference; (ii) foster cross-sector collaboration addressing both tobacco industry interference and livelihood development; and (iii) enhance accountability and transparency in tobacco control efforts.
保护决策不受烟草业影响是有效烟草控制治理的核心。将行业参与者纳入政策进程的利益相关者仍然是企业影响的关键途径。这种影响因烟草业被视为政府监管治理中合法伙伴的观点而得到加强。解决烟草业的影响需要关注正式确定行业与决策者之间关系的政府机构。行业参与政府机构在烟草种植国家尤为重要，因为这些国家的政府部门积极支持烟草作为经济商品。在本文中，我们讨论了如何在烟草种植国家中特别考虑控制烟草业的影响。在这些国家，有各种各样的公司支持烟草生产，包括种子、设备和化学品供应商，以及运输、烟叶收购和加工以及制造公司。在这些情况下运作的公司种类繁多，它们在政治机构中的参与程度也各不相同。对于希望支持替代烟草种植的政府（《烟草控制框架公约》第 17 条），我们说明了在这些国家实施旨在保护烟草控制政策不受烟草业干扰的第 5.3 条的重要性。将第 5.3 条与第 17 条相结合，将：(i) 加强政策一致性，确保替代生计政策不被烟草业干扰所破坏；(ii) 促进跨部门合作，解决烟草业干扰和生计发展问题；(iii) 增强烟草控制工作的问责制和透明度。
