🔗 Share this article

Critics have charged British American Tobacco with “complete double standards” for campaigning against anti-smoking regulations in Africa which are already enforced in the UK.

Campaign in Zambia

Documents seen by journalists originating from the company’s subsidiary in Zambia to the country’s government ministers demands proposals to prohibit tobacco marketing and promotional activities to be canceled or deferred.

The company is attempting amendments to a draft bill that include lowering the recommended coverage of graphic health warnings on cigarette packaging, the removal of restrictions on flavoured tobacco products, and diminished punishments for any businesses disregarding the new laws.

Health advocate reaction

“Were I in government, I would say that they permit the protection of the British people and perpetuate the death of the Zambian people,” stated the anti-tobacco campaigner.

Thousands of residents a year die from tobacco-related illnesses, according to WHO calculations.

The advocate mentioned the letter was believed to have been distributed to various ministerial offices and was in circulation among community advocacy networks.

Worldwide lobbying patterns

It comes amid wider concerns about business sector influence with public health regulations. Last month, international health experts issued a warning that the cigarette manufacturers was intensifying efforts to weaken global control measures.

“There is proof of business advocacy everywhere. Tobacco company fingerprints are on postponed duty hikes in Indonesia, halted laws in Zambia and even a compromised resolution at the UN summit conference,” said the tobacco industry watchdog.

Likely impacts

“When public health regulation doesn't get enacted because of this letter, the price could be paid in human lives who might possibly give up cigarettes.”

The public health measure being considered by Zambia’s parliament includes measures that exceed UK legislation by including provisions for e-cigarettes, and requiring that graphic health warnings cover 75% of product packaging.

Business countermeasures

Via documentation, BAT suggests this be decreased to thirty to fifty percent “within the WHO-FCTC recommended threshold”, delayed for at least one year after the legislation is approved.

The WHO in fact recommends a caution must occupy at least half of the front of a pack “and seek to occupy as much of the primary showing sections as possible”. In the UK, warnings need to encompass nearly two-thirds of a packet’s front and back.

Flavored tobacco discussion

BAT asks for the withdrawal of extensive controls on flavoured tobacco products, claiming that it would drive users to “illicitly sold” products. The company proposes prohibiting a smaller list of “tastes inspired by desserts, candy, energy drinks, soft drinks and alcohol drinks”. All flavoured cigarettes have been outlawed across the UK since 2020.

The pending regulation recommends punishments for different infractions “extending from a portion of yearly revenue to a decade in prison”.

Business explanation

Via documentation, the company executive of the Zambian branch says the firm is “committed to responsible corporate conduct” and “backs the goals of governments to lower tobacco use and the associated health impact” but claims that “certain measures can have unwelcome and unexpected consequences.”

Activist reaction

The campaigner argued the corporation's recommended amendments would “weaken this legislation so much that the required influence for it to cause long-term change in society will not be achieved”.

The reality that many such provisions existed in the UK, where the company maintains its main office, was “complete contradiction”, he said.

“We reside in a global village. If I plant tobacco in my garden and collect the yield and distribute the goods – and my family members avoid tobacco, but my neighbor's family uses … to profit individually and all the subsequent offspring while my neighbour’s children are dying … is in itself absolute spiritual failure.”

Anti-smoking regulations in the United Kingdom or other countries had not caused companies to close, Chimbala said. “Laws don't eliminate the industry. It only protects the people.”

Formal company response

A BAT Zambia spokesperson stated: “The corporation runs its activities following with relevant national regulations. Further, the firm contributes in the country’s legislative process in line with the relevant frameworks which enable relevant group engagement in legislation creation.”

The company was “not against rules”, they said, noting that young individuals should be shielded from access to tobacco and nicotine.

“We advocate for progressive regulation to accomplish desired population health targets, while recognizing the range of rights and obligations on industry, consumers and related stakeholders,” the representative explained, adding that the company's suggestions “reflect the realities of the local commercial environment and smoking product business, which encompasses increasing amounts of illicit trade”.

The country's office of economic activities and commercial operations was approached for comment.