"Industry Hypocrisy Exposed: Tobacco Firm Slams Regulations in Africa While Upholding Them in the UK"
A scathing letter from British American Tobacco (BAT) to Zambia's government ministers has raised eyebrows, as the tobacco giant is lobbying against regulations that would harm its interests in Africa while actively supporting them in the UK. The letter, seen by the Guardian, asks for plans to ban tobacco advertising and sponsorship to be scrapped or delayed.
The proposed regulations, which are currently being debated in Zambia's parliament, aim to reduce the size of graphic health warnings on cigarette packaging, remove restrictions on flavored tobacco products, and water down penalties for non-compliance. However, BAT is urging that these measures be softened or even abandoned altogether.
"This is utter hypocrisy," said Master Chimbala, a Zambian anti-tobacco campaigner. "If they permit the protection of the British people, why would they want to kill off their Zambian counterparts?" Over 7,000 Zambians die each year from tobacco-related illnesses, according to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates.
BAT claims that its proposals are designed to push consumers toward "illegally traded" products by removing restrictions on flavored tobacco. This is a clear attempt to exploit loopholes and profit from the country's lack of regulation.
"It's not just about profits; it's about lives," said Jorge Alday, director of the tobacco industry watchdog STOP at health organization Vital Strategies. "If these regulations aren't passed, people may continue smoking and dying from tobacco-related illnesses."
The fact that BAT is opposing these measures in Zambia while supporting them in the UK has raised suspicions of hypocrisy. Many critics argue that this is a classic case of "regulatory arbitrage," where companies seek to exploit differences in regulations across countries to maximize their profits.
"This is not just about tobacco control; it's about industry interference with health policies and the global fight against noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)," said Alday.
A scathing letter from British American Tobacco (BAT) to Zambia's government ministers has raised eyebrows, as the tobacco giant is lobbying against regulations that would harm its interests in Africa while actively supporting them in the UK. The letter, seen by the Guardian, asks for plans to ban tobacco advertising and sponsorship to be scrapped or delayed.
The proposed regulations, which are currently being debated in Zambia's parliament, aim to reduce the size of graphic health warnings on cigarette packaging, remove restrictions on flavored tobacco products, and water down penalties for non-compliance. However, BAT is urging that these measures be softened or even abandoned altogether.
"This is utter hypocrisy," said Master Chimbala, a Zambian anti-tobacco campaigner. "If they permit the protection of the British people, why would they want to kill off their Zambian counterparts?" Over 7,000 Zambians die each year from tobacco-related illnesses, according to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates.
BAT claims that its proposals are designed to push consumers toward "illegally traded" products by removing restrictions on flavored tobacco. This is a clear attempt to exploit loopholes and profit from the country's lack of regulation.
"It's not just about profits; it's about lives," said Jorge Alday, director of the tobacco industry watchdog STOP at health organization Vital Strategies. "If these regulations aren't passed, people may continue smoking and dying from tobacco-related illnesses."
The fact that BAT is opposing these measures in Zambia while supporting them in the UK has raised suspicions of hypocrisy. Many critics argue that this is a classic case of "regulatory arbitrage," where companies seek to exploit differences in regulations across countries to maximize their profits.
"This is not just about tobacco control; it's about industry interference with health policies and the global fight against noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)," said Alday.
I'm totally blown away by this one, folks! So BAT, a major tobacco player, is basically saying they want to help people in the UK by supporting these regulations but for Africa? No way! It's like they're trying to take advantage of Zambia's lack of regulation while simultaneously being all about saving lives and promoting health in the UK. 
I mean, come on, if you're gonna be a good corporate citizen one day, why not the next? This whole regulatory arbitrage thing just blows my mind... it's like they're trying to suck up any potential regulations that might hurt their profits! 
What a shame, Zambia needs these regulations more than ever considering how many lives are lost to tobacco-related illnesses every year. We should be calling them out for this total hypocrisy. 
Just saw this crazy letter from British American Tobacco slamming regulations in Africa while they're totally on board with them in the UK 
. They want to make it hard for people in Africa to quit smoking while they're happy to regulate themselves in the UK 
. And now, they're claiming this is all about pushing consumers toward "illegally traded" products 
. This whole thing just reeks of regulatory arbitrage and industry interference with health policies 
. We need to keep pushing for stronger regulations everywhere 
. Tobacco firm BAT is basically saying that they're better off in the UK, where they can play by different rules, while trying to take advantage of Zambia's weaker regulations for their own gain 
. This whole thing smells like corporate lobbying and special interest groups trying to get ahead by exploiting loopholes 
. We need stricter regulations to protect people's lives, not just some companies' profits 
.
. It's like they're playing a game of 'good cop, bad cop' with the world. And don't even get me started on their whole "pushing consumers toward illegally traded products" thing... sounds like a total load of BS to me 
. The WHO estimates alone should be enough to make them rethink their stance... over 7k Zambians dying each year from tobacco-related illnesses is a number that shouldn't be ignored 
. It's all about lives, not profits... sounds like they're speaking a different language to me 
.
. It's clear that their true intention is to line their pockets with profits by exploiting loopholes and preying on vulnerable populations