Big Tobacco
Big Tobacco is a name used to refer to the largest companies in the tobacco industry. The 6 largest tobacco companies are: 1st China National Tobacco Company (Chinese state monopoly with almost no exports), 2nd British American Tobacco, 3rd Philip Morris International, 4th Imperial Brands, 5th Altria Group, and 6th Japan Tobacco International, and are collectively referred to as Big Tobacco.[1] These companies have substantial power economically, with revenues matching some small countries. These companies are well-known for lobbying governments, advocating for looser restrictions and lower taxes.[1]
These companies have garnered significant controversy for the product they produce and the tactics with which they sell and market them. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States. Despite a general decrease in cigarette use in the United States, there has been no change in the use of smokeless tobacco.[2]
Some of the tactics utilized by these companies have been noted to be similar to that of other industries such as the oil, sugar, and cell phone industries.[3]
Controversy
These companies are controversial due to the negative health effects of the products they produce, and attempts to misinform on this topic. In the United States, the big five tobacco companies have worked together to conceal scientific evidence on the negative affects of tobacco. There is also a history of manipulating and destroying evidence. [4]
The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was designed by the World Health Assembly as an international legal approach to reducing the effect of tobacco on public health. However, it's implementation has also been interfered with by these tobacco companies. Tobacco companies have also been known to foster relations with governments and communities to maintain loose regulations on tobacco products.[5]
See also
- Big business
- Big Media
- Big Oil
- Big Pharma
- Big Soda
- Big Tech
- Tobacco politics
- Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement
References
- ^ Lee, Ruth (January 2020). "The FCTC and Tobacco Industry". World Medical Journal. 66 (1): 11–13.
- ^ Nguyen, Kimberly; Marshall, LaTisha; Brown, Susan; Neff, Linda (7 October 2016). "State-Specific Prevalence of Current Cigarette Smoking and Smokeless Tobacco Use Among Adults — United States, 2014". Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 65 (39): 1045–1051. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6539a1. PMID 27711031.
- ^ Coraiola, Diego (October 2020). "Remembering to Forget: The Historic Irresponsibility of U.S. Big Tobacco". Journal of Business Ethics. 166 (2): 233–252. doi:10.1007/s10551-019-04323-4. S2CID 211393036.
- ^ Coraiola, Diego (October 2020). "Remembering to Forget: The Historic Irresponsibility of U.S. Big Tobacco". Journal of Business Ethics. 166 (2): 233–252. doi:10.1007/s10551-019-04323-4. S2CID 211393036.
- ^ Lee, Ruth (January 2020). "The FCTC and Tobacco Industry". World Medical Journal. 66 (1): 11–13.
Further reading
- Estes, Jim (6 October 2014). "How the Big Tobacco Deal Went Bad". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- Master Settlement Agreement
External links
- Big Tobacco Manufacturers
- Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
- TheTruth.com
- Doward, Jamie (11 October 2015). "Revealed: how 'big tobacco' used EU rules to win health delay". The Observer. Retrieved 15 October 2015.