Newsletter (Volume 1, Issue 2) (April 12, 2021)

Imagine the outrage if an international non-governmental organization (NGO) focusing on drug abuse called for naloxone manufacturers to not sell their products in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) on grounds that it would confuse regulators and the public, suggesting instead that they focus on ending opioid abuse using only regulatory and educational approaches? How would NGOs in these countries react if this international NGO went further and called on governments to ban the use of naloxone? Recall that naloxone is about 85-95% effective in preventing death from an opioid overdose.

Bringing Everyone to the Tobacco Table (March 27, 2021)

In his new book, Good Business: The Talk, Fight, Win Way to Change the World, Bill Novelli describes, among other things, opportunities that may arise from working with a cancelled industry. Ultimately, however, Novelli's inconsistency on this stance reveals the power of cancel culture to stifle dialogue and impede clearheaded action.

With Excess Menthol Use Affecting Black Americans, U.S. Policy Efforts Continue to Fall Short (March 24, 2021)

In the United States, menthol cigarettes rose to popularity during the 1950s. At about the same time, manufacturers began focusing their marketing efforts on Black Americans. The effects of these campaigns can be felt today, with Black smokers making up more than one quarter of all menthol users in the United States.

Vaping better than nicotine replacement therapy for stopping smoking, evidence suggests. (February 25, 2021)

The report takes an in-depth look at the latest evidence on the effectiveness of nicotine vaping products in helping people to stop smoking. The report also provides an update on the use of nicotine vaping products among young people and adults and examines the data on people's perception of risk.

FCTC Secretariat relaunches plan for accelerated tobacco control, Part II: A case study (January 25, 2021)

In Part I, I discussed failures in the implementation of the Global Strategy to Accelerate Tobacco Control 2019-2025 (GS2025). As that post indicates, there are many factors contributing to shortcomings on this front. In the current piece, I focus on one where a country, Thailand, which, in my opinion, is still facing challenges in reducing smoking rates despite putting in place policies as outlined in GS2025.

It's Time for America to Reclaim its Role in Global Health Leadership. (January 25, 2021)

For decades, the US was a leader in global health. It played a key role in establishing the World Health Organization (WHO), steered the eradication of diseases like smallpox, and guided the development of innumerable standards that underpin modern health policy. Then came the Trump Presidency. Over the past four years, and particularly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the administration repeatedly failed to embrace sound health policy, to disastrous effect. The election of Joe Biden must bring about a reversal of these failures.

Perspectives regarding the Report on the Tenth Meeting of the WHO (January 25, 2021)

Perspectives regarding the Report on the Tenth Meeting of the WHO Study Group on Tobacco Product Regulation to be considered at the 148th session of the Executive Board of the World Health Organization.

Accelerating change: foundation blog (December 23, 2020)

It was an era in which we became accustomed to daily death tolls broadcast on TV; work, school, and play shifted to virtual space; and masks served as both a life-saving accessory and confounding controversy. On many fronts, the era was marked by despair, not only from the virus proper, but also from the isolation.

Tobacco Transformation Index: Progress and Next Steps (December 19, 2020)

Launched in September of this year, the Tobacco Transformation Index is a comprehensive evaluation of the world's 15 largest tobacco companies. The first tool of its kind, the Index documents companies' sales, investments, and strategies related to the transition away from combustible cigarettes and other high-risk tobacco products-with the ultimate goal of accelerating the reduction of harm caused by tobacco use.

FCTC Secretariat relaunches plan for accelerated tobacco control, highlighting WHO's bureaucratic inaction (December 17, 2020)

In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted the Global Strategy to Accelerate Tobacco Control 2019-2025 (GS2025). Described as "a blueprint for the global tobacco control community," this strategy sought to accelerate implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Two years later, one cannot help but notice the absence of any report on progress toward this goal-an absence that was made all the more glaring when the WHO relaunched GS2025 last month. Intended to coincide with what would have been the Ninth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the FCTC (COP9), this relaunch only highlighted ongoing failures in policy implementation.