- Apr 2, 2009
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tobacco industry lobbying blamed for incompetence and arrogance of unethical EU TPD campaigners
How Big Tobacco
The commentary I posted (below) is awaiting moderation.
This article attempts to demonize tobacco companies for the incompetence and arrogance of unethical anti tobacco extremists and drug industry front groups who aggressively lobbied Dalli to include many ineffective and counterproductive policies in his Tobacco Products Directive.
The proposal to ban e-cigarettes (via medicines regulation) threatened the lives of several million vapers (who recently quit smoking by switching to e-cigs) and the lives of tens of millions of smokers (who might otherwise quit smoking with e-cigs).
Instead of protecting public health, Dalli’s e-cig ban proposal was genocide, which the MEPs realized after many vapers contacted them concerned that they’d be forced to switch back to lethal cigarettes.
Dalli’s proposal to retain the EU’s snus ban (even though snus is 99% less hazardous than cigarettes and has sharply reduced cigarette consumption in Sweden and Norway to the lowest in Europe) also threatens the lives of all smokers in Europe while protecting cigarette markets. But Dalli included it because snus prohibitionists convinced him to do so.
There’s also NO empirical evidence that banning packs of ten cigarettes, banning slim cigarettes, banning flavorings or additives, or requiring plain cigarette packaging has ever reduced cigarette consumption or smoking rates.
The only TPD policy change approved by the EU Parliament that might reduce cigarette consumption is the mandatory picture warnings on all cigarette packs. But cigarette consumption only declined by several percent after Canada and Australia enacted those laws, and consumption didn’t decline in Brazil.
In sum, the TPD proposed by Dalli harmed public health more than helped it (due to the e-cig ban), while the TPD apporoved by the EU Parliament may reduce cigarette consumption by several percentage points.
Basically, the entire TPD process has been a waste of everyone’s time and energy.
If the EU Parliament truly wants to reduce cigarette consumption, it should repeal the snus ban and eliminate the e-cig marketing restrictions.
Bill Godshall
Executive Director
Smokefree Pennsylvania
1926 Monongahela Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15218
412-351-5880
smokefree@compuserve.com
How Big Tobacco
The commentary I posted (below) is awaiting moderation.
This article attempts to demonize tobacco companies for the incompetence and arrogance of unethical anti tobacco extremists and drug industry front groups who aggressively lobbied Dalli to include many ineffective and counterproductive policies in his Tobacco Products Directive.
The proposal to ban e-cigarettes (via medicines regulation) threatened the lives of several million vapers (who recently quit smoking by switching to e-cigs) and the lives of tens of millions of smokers (who might otherwise quit smoking with e-cigs).
Instead of protecting public health, Dalli’s e-cig ban proposal was genocide, which the MEPs realized after many vapers contacted them concerned that they’d be forced to switch back to lethal cigarettes.
Dalli’s proposal to retain the EU’s snus ban (even though snus is 99% less hazardous than cigarettes and has sharply reduced cigarette consumption in Sweden and Norway to the lowest in Europe) also threatens the lives of all smokers in Europe while protecting cigarette markets. But Dalli included it because snus prohibitionists convinced him to do so.
There’s also NO empirical evidence that banning packs of ten cigarettes, banning slim cigarettes, banning flavorings or additives, or requiring plain cigarette packaging has ever reduced cigarette consumption or smoking rates.
The only TPD policy change approved by the EU Parliament that might reduce cigarette consumption is the mandatory picture warnings on all cigarette packs. But cigarette consumption only declined by several percent after Canada and Australia enacted those laws, and consumption didn’t decline in Brazil.
In sum, the TPD proposed by Dalli harmed public health more than helped it (due to the e-cig ban), while the TPD apporoved by the EU Parliament may reduce cigarette consumption by several percentage points.
Basically, the entire TPD process has been a waste of everyone’s time and energy.
If the EU Parliament truly wants to reduce cigarette consumption, it should repeal the snus ban and eliminate the e-cig marketing restrictions.
Bill Godshall
Executive Director
Smokefree Pennsylvania
1926 Monongahela Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15218
412-351-5880
smokefree@compuserve.com
