Where there’s smoke there’s money: Campaign contributions and U.S. government efforts to derail the Global Tobacco Treaty Martin Donohoe.
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Where there’s smoke there’s money: Campaign contributions and U.S. government efforts to derail the Global Tobacco Treaty Martin Donohoe Tobacco – Weapon of Mass Destruction 1.3 billion smokers 84% in developing countries 5.7 trillion cigarettes smoked/yr worldwide 5.4 million deaths/yr worldwide (1/10 deaths) Estimated 10 million by 2030 Tobacco – Weapon of Mass Destruction Leading cause of death in U.S. 450,000 deaths/yr 50,000 from environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) Tobacco – Weapon of Mass Destruction Numerous health consequences Heavily pesticide-dependent crop Tobacco industry has lobbied to weaken environmental regulations Tobacco – Weapon of Mass Destruction Direct medical costs = $75 billion/yr Medical care and lost productivity due to tobacco use costs each U.S. citizen $550/yr vs. $770/U.S.citizen/yr., based on $200 billion cost, for Iraq/Afghanistan War Society saves $3 in medical costs for every $1 spent to prevent smoking Smokescreen Cigarettes most marketed products in the world $2 billion/year in the U.S. 3 largest companies have combined annual revenues exceding $121 billion (2007) U.S. leading exporter of cigarettes U.S. tax money used to assist corporations in their marketing efforts overseas WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Treaty Finalized 2/27/05 Ratified by 160 nations (as of 11/08) Including Russia, Canada, Australia, Mexico, and the UK Another 8 have signed but not yet ratified/approved WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Treaty Exempts tobacco control from free trade challenges Limits tobacco advertising Cracks down on tobacco smuggling Bans tobacco sales to and by minors WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Treaty Promotes agricultural diversification and alternative livelihoods for tobacco farmers Standardizes packaging Bans deceptive terms such as “light” and “mild” Improves warning labels U.S. Efforts to Undermine the Treaty Despite overwhelming U.S. and international public support for the goals of the treaty… U.S. government attempted to scuttle the treaty in the name of free trade and free speech Tobacco industry documents show attempt to create alternative through Project Cerberus U.S. Efforts to Undermine the Treaty Original U.S. negotiator Thomas Novotny resigned after the Bush administration pressured him to lobby for the deletion of 10 of 11 treaty provisions, as outlined in a Phillip Morris memo Phillip Morris and Altria Phillip Morris = world’s largest tobacco company Parent company = Altria (also owns 85% of Kraft Foods and 28 % of Miller Brewing) 2008: Phillip Morris International becomes independent company, separates from Phillip Morris USA and Altria U.S. Efforts to Undermine the Treaty U.S. Belatedly signed on 5/3/05 Senate must ratify AND President must sign Administration has not submitted treaty to Congress – “studying it” Bush Administration Ties to the Tobacco Industry Karl Rove (Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor) – lobbyist/strategist for PM Kirk Blalock (White House liaison to the business community) – PM public relations official Bush Administration Ties to the Tobacco Industry Charles Black (informal advisor to Bush during 2000 campaign) – PM lobbyist Daniel Troy (former FDA Chief Counsel) – represented tobacco industry when it sued the FDA over tobacco ad regulation Bush Administration Ties to the Tobacco Industry Tommy Thompson (HHS Secretary) received $72,000 in campaign contributions from PM executives when he was governor of Wisconsin advisor for the primary tobacco lobbying firm in D.C. Rejected his own advisory panel’s recommendation to increase federal tobacco tax Bush Administration Ties to the Tobacco Industry British American Tobacco PLC’s Brown and Williamson unit and RJ Reynolds Tobacco Holdings, Inc. represented by Barbour, Griffith and Rogers Lobbying firm stocked with Republican operatives, including: Haley Barbour – former GOP Chairman, MS governor Lanny Griffith – White House aide to GHW Bush Campaign Contributions $3.5 million (through individual contributions and PACs) in 2004 74% to Republicans $20 million to Republican candidates for federal office since 1997 PM – leading overall campaign contributor to Republicans since 1989 U.S. Non-Cooperation on International Treaties Failure to sign or approve: Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change Convention on the Prohibition of AntiPersonnel Land Mines Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Convention on the Rights of the Child Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women U.S. Non-Cooperation on International Treaties Failure to sign or approve: Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Convention for the Suppression of Traffic in Persons Failure to pay full U.N. dues Opposition to International Criminal Court Health Care Organizations and Medical Schools As of 1999: insurers (including some of the largest owners of HMOs) and mutual funds heavily invested in tobacco stocks Cigna - $42.7 million; MetLife – $62.1 million; Prudential - $892 million. TIAA-CREF (whose mutual funds are owned by many health professionals) - $732 million Phillip Morris stock. Health Care Organizations and Medical Schools 1996-1998: PM and Cigna collaborated to censor accurate information on the harms of smoking and ETS from health newsletters Tobacco companies sponsored “research” to refute links between tobacco and disease Health Care Organizations and Medical Schools Tobacco industry has “whitecoated” itself since the 1940s Borrowing from medicine’s prestige and public esteem in ads featuring smoking doctors Health Care Organizations and Medical Schools As of late 2004, despite a decade’s old plea from the AMA for medical schools to divest their tobacco holdings, some of the nation’s leading medical schools had failed to do so: Cornell, Duke, Washington University, Yale, and possibly Penn (refused to answer requests) Columbia is said to have divested, but could not provide details to confirm Conclusions U.S. resistance to / attempts to scuttle global tobacco treaty squanders opportunity for U.S. to take lead on important international public health issue Represents callous disregard for human health and world economy Conclusions Some health care organizations and medical schools have failed to provide ethical and moral leadership in antitobacco crusade Government / health care community’s obstructionism and failure to lead likely due to influence of campaign contributions / research funding Recommendations President should send Treaty to U.S. Senate, which should immediately ratify, and President sign Campaign finance reform Medical schools and health care organizations should immediately divest all tobacco holdings Recommendations Media should more aggressively expose tobacco industry machinations Health care professionals should lobby their institutions and legislators to take the lead in the war on tobacco Ban tobacco sales in pharmacies Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Currently before Congress) Tobacco companies must provide ingredients to govt.; govt. would regulate harmful ingredients Govt. could not ban cigarettes, reduce nicotine content to zero, set underage limit of more than 18, control where tobacco products sold/amount of menthol New, larger set of warning labels Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Currently before Congress) Supported by Phillip Morris Possibly to solidify its dominant market position Might be weakened by industry lobbying Could mitigate the legal liabilities of tobacco companies For references, see: Donohoe MT. Cigarettes: The other weapons of mass destruction. Medscape Ob/Gyn and Women’s Health 2005;10(1): posted 4/5/05. Available at http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle /501586 Contact Information Public Health and Social Justice Website http://www.phsj.org [email protected]