NGOs

Non-governmental Organisations involved in Tobacco Control

World

• WHO, World Health Organisation

Founder of the FCTC, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

Is heavily supported by the pharmaceutical industry in the area of lifestyle diseases.

• Globalink

Globalink is a network for international tobacco control activists making use of the internet to communicate ideas and strategies against the use of tobacco. It is part of the Global Control Movement lead by the American Cancer Society and the UICC. Although Globalink don't declare in their website that the pharmaceutical industry is funding them, here's what we can read in bold on page 34 of the Strategy Planning for Tobacco Control Movement Building:

"Links to Drug Companies That Have Funded Tobacco Control Action GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Pharmacia Corporation (now owned by Pfizer)"

Dr. Michael Siegel (an insider) exposed how the groupthink mentality runs rampant in the globalink network. Excerpts from his blogpost Globalink: A Forum for Global Groupthink in Tobacco Control

‘’It (Globalink) is a mechanism for preventing critical discussion of research, science, and policy issues in tobacco control. It serves to stifle thoughtful discussion of ideas, suppresses dissenting opinions, and plays out as a forum for malicious individual attacks against researchers, advocates, or citizens who dare to go against the mainstream opinions within the tobacco control movement.’’

Another former Globalink member – Dr. Kamal Chaouachi – had this to say:

‘’I was banished (from Globalink) several times and eventually expelled once and for all. Over the years, I have also been amazed by the extent of endorsed intolerance. For instance, there have been, believe it or not, “debates” on whether it is ethical or not to give a last cigarette to a person confined to bed and doomed to death… Then, one discovers the pharmaceutical industry connections (Pfizer in particular)(WCTOH, 2009 ; Mesbah 2009) and how Globalink’s policy has been drawn with “a velvet glove” pulled on an iron fist named Simon Chapman, ex Editor in Chief of the world famous antismoking Tobacco Control Journal’’.

• World Lung Foundation

Funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Lung Foundation offers funding and anti-tobacco advocacy techniques to low-and middle-income countries.

Canada

• Physicians For A Smoke-Free Canada

Government funded and government lobbying NGO

Funding Received in Last Financial Year from Health Canada $290,000.00

Lobbying the federal government for the following:

Ban on tobacco advertising, including transborder advertising, through new federal legislation. (C-32, an Act to amend the Tobacco Act, which was proclaimed in October 2009, bans print advertising but leaves other venues open for tobacco promotion and does meet Canada's requirements under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to ban transborder advertsing).

Canada Pension Plan and CPP Investment Board. Encourage divestment of tobacco stocks from pension holdings in compliance with Article 5.3 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Contorl (sic)

Framework Convention on Tobacco Control; support the full implementation of the treaty in Canada by encouraging greater levels of adminsitrative (sic), legislative and executive attention to the treaty's provisions, with particular attention to articles 5.3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 15, 19, 21, 22, 26.

Improved tobacco product packaging, either through renewed tobacco information regulations or new legislation. Measures include renewed health information and health warning messages, plain packaging, removal of misleading information on tobacco packages.

Support for international tobacco control through enhanced funding through CIDA or Health Canada to multilateral, bilateral or other financial mechanisms, increased support for the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

• Non-Smokers' Rights Association and it's charitable arm Smoking and Health Action Foundation

Government funded and government lobbying NGO

Funding Received in Last Financial Year from Health Canada (HC) $427,500.00 QUEBEC GOVERNMENT $125,000.00

Lobbying the federal government for the following:

Commenting on tobacco smuggling, enforcement and taxation related to Excise Act.

Proposed new regulations for the Tobacco Act on tobacco descriptors, warnings, packaging and health promotion

• There are many other smaller parasitical groups that make a living from anti-tobacco and the citizens' taxes and/or donations and on top of these groups that are directly working for the anti-tobacco industry, many others consistently and continuously lobby government (federal and provincial) to implement ever increasing anti-tobacco policies and of course to sustain or increase the funding towards anti-tobacco.

The following list of non-profits lobbying against tobacco comes from the federal lobbyist registry:

The Canadian Cancer Society is lobbying the federal government for the following :

Framework Convention on Tobacco Control implementation, including protocols and guidelines

Health Canada's Tobacco Control Program as it relates to funding and implementation.

Income Tax Act, as it relates to the taxation of tobacco companies.

Non-Smokers' Health Act as it relates to implementation and enforcement.

Tobacco Act and its regulations, including regarding packaging/labelling and ingredients.

The Canadian Dental Association is lobbying the federal government for the following :

NATIONAL TOBACCO CONTROL PROGRAMS: Strengthening Canada's tobacco control strategy

Monitor Health Promotion Funding for Canadian Tobacco Cessation Programs

The Canadian Medical Association is lobbying the federal government for the following :

NATIONAL TOBACCO CONTROL PROGRAMS: Increased restriction on the sale and advertising of tobacco products in Canada

The Canadian Lung Association is lobbying the federal government for the following :

Amendments to the Tobacco Act with respect to increasing tobacco taxation and penalties for contraband cigarettes.

Bill C-32, An Act to Amend the Tobacco Act, pertaining to cigarillos (mini cigars), blunts and papers, as well as marketing to young people and Canadians. Smoking cessation support with respect to ensuring funding for programs to reduce smoking rates in First Nations communities. The Federal Tobacco Control Strategy in respect of renewing the strategy after 2012.

The Canadian Pharmacists Association is lobbying the federal government for the following :

Health Canada Smoking Cessation Tobacco Control Program with respect to policy implications for the practice of pharmacy

Health Canada - Smoking Cessation Tobacco Control Program. Seeking assistance to develop and disseminate training materials and courses to provide pharmacists with the knowledge and skills to help patients stop smoking.

The Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA) is lobbying the federal government for the following :

CPHA informs Government of Canada about new CPHA position statements on Tobacco Use in Canada and a Public Health Approach to Alcohol Policy in Canada

The Ontario Campaign for Action on Tobacco is lobbying the federal government for the following :

Seeking information on the status of the renewed fudning (sic) of the federal tobacco control strategy.

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada is lobbying the federal government for the following :

Implementation of regulations & programs to: Eliminate tobacco marketing; Require plain packaging on tobacco products; reduce tobacco contraband and; renew tobacco package health warnings.

Europe

UK

• ASH, Action on Smoking and Health

Government funded and government lobbying NGO

• ASH Scotland

Government funded and government lobbying NGO

• ASH Wales

Government funded and government lobbying NGO

• Fresh (Smokefree North East)

Government funded and government lobbying NGO

• No Smoking Day

Government funded and government lobbying NGO

• Plain Packs Protect

NGO specifically set up with government funds to lobby government for plain packaging of tobacco

• Smokefree Lincs Alliance

Local NGO mostly financed by state-funded organisations

• Smokefree South West

Government funded and government lobbying NGO

• Tobacco Free Futures (Smokefree North West)

Government funded and government lobbying NGO

Netherlands

• STIVORO

Funded by KWF (Cancer Society), Astmafonds (Asthma Fund) and Hartstichting (Heart Foundation)

• CAN, Clean Air Now

Project funding by KWF (Cancer Society), Astmafonds (Asthma Fund) and Hartstichting (Heart Foundation)