Evidence-based policy making and 'Better Regulation': The battleground for standardised packaging of tobacco
Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: Previous research* by the University of Bath's Tobacco Control Research Group (TCRG) concluded that transnational tobacco companies (TTCs) advocated the introduction of 'Better Regulation', anticipating that it would make it harder for governments to enact public health policies.This research builds upon those conclusions, exploring how TTCs used the public consultation and impact assessment required by 'Better Regulation' to oppose standardised packaging of tobacco products in the UK.Tobacco smoking kills one in two long-term users, and 207,000 children are estimated to take up smoking each year.Standardised packaging aims to reduce the impact of smoking on health by eliminating TTCs' last remaining marketing opportunities.Under the measure, all packs will be printed in a drab brown colour, without logos, brand imagery or promotional text.A large body of peer-reviewed research shows that this measure is likely to both reduce the appeal of cigarettes among young people and increase the effectiveness of health warnings, thereby contributing to reducing smoking rates.The research examines TTCs' attempts to use 'Better Regulation' processes to prevent the introduction of standardised packaging in the UK.It documents the quality and relevance of evidence cited by four TTCs -British American Tobacco, Imperial Tobacco Group, Japan Tobacco International and Philip Morris International -in their submissions to a public consultation on standardised packaging held in the UK in 2012.It critically examines the techniques they use to misrepresent evidence supporting standardised packaging and the quality of their data on the illicit tobacco trade.
Authors: Jennifer Hatchard, Anna Gilmore
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1963401299