Clearing the Air: Conflicts of Interest and the Tobacco Industry’s Impact on Indigenous Peoples

‘Dispelling the smoke to reflect the mirror’: the time is now to eliminate tobacco related harms

“…Indigenous peoples’ interests (and rights) and our public health and commercial tobacco control initiatives to promote health are inherently at odds with the interests of the Tobacco Industry and their directly and indirectly funded affiliates. The Tobacco Industry and its affiliates are required and incentivised to serve the ‘best interests’ of the company 34 . Embedding structural and social supports to eliminating tobacco related death and disease is the next step to prevent and eliminate tobacco related premature death.…”

“…The Tobacco Industry and its affiliates are required and incentivised to serve the 'best interests' of the company. 34 Embedding structural and social supports to eliminating tobacco related death and disease is the next step to prevent and eliminate tobacco related premature death.…”

Lessons Learned on Addressing Racism: Recommendations from The Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco's Racial Equity Task Force

“…actively promoting e-cigarettes among Indigenous health services [9][10][11]; sponsoring cultural events tied to racialized and ethnic culture in the United States and Mexico (e.g. activities related to Black History Month, Cinco de Mayo and Chinese New Year) [12,13]; sponsoring music events in sub-Saharan Africa [14]; and positioning themselves as partners for economic growth in low-and middle-income countries [15,16].…”

“…Built on racial capitalism, the racist history of commercial tobacco began with colonization adulterating and modifying the sacred Indigenous tobacco plant as a plantation crop for ‘recreational use’ and continued with the abduction and enslavement of African peoples who, under violent conditions, were forced to plant and harvest tobacco for the purpose of financial profit in the United States and beyond. In addition to the colonization of tobacco, the ongoing racism of the commercial tobacco industry includes, but is not limited to: targeting highly racialized communities with tobacco advertising and marketing [4–8]; co‐opting Indigenous imagery to sell commercial tobacco products; actively promoting e‐cigarettes among Indigenous health services [9–11]; sponsoring cultural events tied to racialized and ethnic culture in the United States and Mexico (e.g. activities related to Black History Month, Cinco de Mayo and Chinese New Year) [12,13]; sponsoring music events in sub‐Saharan Africa [14]; and positioning themselves as partners for economic growth in low‐ and middle‐income countries [15,16].…”

Tobacco Control Continues to Work as Smoking Prevalence Declines: Combating Manufactured Uncertainty: Author Response

“…3 Nicotine and Tobacco Research , the research it publishes, and the community it serves remain vulnerable to this approach. We join the calls made by others for The Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco and Nicotine and Tobacco Research to include individuals receiving funding from the tobacco industry, as well as tobacco company employees, 8 among those who are not allowed to publish in the journal, in keeping with the policies of many other journals. 9 …”