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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Attorneys general in 14 different states filed lawsuits against TikTok last week.</li><li>They say TikTok's algorithm is addictive and harmful to children's mental health.</li></ul>TikTok is facing lawsuits from 14 state attorneys general who say the company's algorithm harms children. Legal experts say the coordinated challenge is designed to take down big companies.Adam Wandt, an attorney and deputy chair for technology at the John Jay School of Criminal Justice, said the barrage of state lawsuits mirrors challenges against Big Tobacco in the 1990s and Purdue Pharma, the maker of Oxycontin, in the 2000s. In both cases, the lawsuits were used to "overwhelm those industries," he said."The other advantage it gives is, if there are defects in one of the suits, the other suits still survive," Wandt said. "It's actually a pretty good strategy."Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor and trial lawyer in California, said that attorneys commonly file multiple lawsuits across several states when they go after "multibillion-dollar" companies because they are more expensive for the companies to defend."Opioid companies, for instance, wouldn't have entered into the settlements that they did had they only dealt with one attorney general or a lawsuit in one state, but when they're looking at multiple lawsuits across the country, and really the continued viability of their company, it's more likely that they'll enter into some settlement," Rahmani said."You might win one or two lawsuits. How are you going to win a dozen?" he added.The Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma, ultimately paid over <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/purdue-pharma-oxycontin-sacklers-tentative-settlement-opioid-lawsuits-2019-9">$3 billion in settlements</a> for misleading advertising related to their products. Purdue Pharma later <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/supreme-court-rejects-bankruptcy-plan-protecting-sacklers-2024-6">filed for bankruptcy</a>, but the Supreme Court struck down a $7 billion bankruptcy plan in June that would have given the Sackler's immunity from future civil suits.Big Tech companies like Meta, Google, and TikTok are usually shielded from liability related to the content users post to their sites by Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. No matter how harmful the content, tech companies are considered by law the uninvolved host or "intermediary" for the content.Rahmani said that courts examining the 14 new lawsuits against TikTok will focus on whether the company's algorithm is causing harm, not whether it is hosting harmful content."There's a difference between passively allowing people to post, but really what we're talking about is TikTok's algorithm," Rahmani said.On Thursday, NPR reported that over 30 pages of <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-lawsuit-algorithm-children-internal-documents-revealed-2024-10">accidentally unredacted court documents</a> detailed some of the findings of the joint investigation into TikTok. Wandt said those documents showed that TikTok "has very intentionally ignored" federal regulations."I think that the types of legal protections we give to social media companies might not protect them if they are found to be lax with some of the federal laws," Wandt said.Still, the biggest loss for TikTok may come in the court of public opinion, Rahmani said.Congress passed a bill in April that requires TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-ban-app-american-us-not-worried-2024-9">find a new owner</a> for the app or face a potential ban in the United States. With the prospect of <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-ban-app-american-us-not-worried-2024-9">that federal ban looming</a> next year, a slew of federal lawsuits helps shape public opinion and "pressure lawmakers to act," Rahmani said."There's now this narrative: Tiktok isn't about fun, silly dancing. It's dangerously pushing out harmful material for our children," he said. "So that's very different."In a statement to BI, a spokesperson for TikTok said the company "strongly disagrees with these claims, many of which we believe to be inaccurate and misleading." The spokesperson said the company cooperated with the investigation for two years and that " it is incredibly disappointing they have taken this step rather than work with us on constructive solutions to industry-wide challenges.""We're proud of and remain deeply committed to the work we've done to protect teens and we will continue to update and improve our product," the spokesperson said.

New lawsuits against TikTok mirror those against Big Tobacco and Purdue Pharma

The government has made it mandatory for <keyword id="5293670" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ott-platforms" source="Orion">OTT platforms</keyword> to display an anti-tobacco health warning as a prominent static message at the bottom of the screen during the period of a tobacco product being displayed or used in a programme, the Rajya Sabha was told on Tuesday. The government notified the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Amendment Rules, 2023 on May 31, Minister of State for Health SP Singh Baghel said in a written reply. According to the amended rules, every publisher of online curated contents displaying tobacco products or their use has to display anti-tobacco health spots, for a minimum 30 seconds each at the beginning and middle of the programme. They have to display anti-tobacco health warning as a prominent static message at the bottom of the screen during the period of display of the tobacco products or their use in the programme, and also display an audio-visual disclaimer on the ill-effects of tobacco for a minimum 20 seconds each in the beginning and middle of the programme, Baghel said in his written reply. Moreover, all compliance is ensured as per Rule (6) of the Amendment Rules, 2023 through an inter-ministerial committee consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.

Now, OTT platforms must display anti-tobacco warnings onscreen

<ul><li><keyword id="12736930" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="altria" source="Orion">Altria</keyword> stock fell as much as 10% on Wednesday after The Wall Street Journal reported that the FDA plans to ban <keyword id="14264066" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="juul" source="Orion">Juul</keyword> <keyword id="12645697" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="vaping" source="Orion">vaping</keyword> products.</li><li>Altria paid $12.8 billion for a 35% stake in Juul in 2018 when the product was popular with teens.</li><li>The FDA required all US e-cigarette manufacturers to submit their products for review in 2020, and Juul didn't make the cut. </li></ul><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/mo-stock">Altria</a> stock tumbled as much as 10% on Wednesday after <a href="https://affiliate.insider.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2Ffda-to-order-juul-e-cigarettes-off-u-s-market-11655904689">The Wall Street Journal reported</a> that the FDA plans to ban Juul vaping products from the US market as early as today.Investors are selling Altria's stock because the cigarette maker <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/altria-considering-juul-investment-2018-11">purchased a 35% stake in Juul Labs for $12.8 billion</a> in 2018. Back then, the investment looked smart as Juul's fruity vaping flavors caught on with teens and led to a surge in vaping among young adults. But shortly after Altria's investment, flavored vape pods were banned from the US market and Juul saw a decline in sales. The e-cigarette company also faced scrutiny from regulators due to its marketing tactics that lured teenagers into picking up the habit of consuming nicotine.The FDA required all US e-cigarette manufactures to submit their products for review in 2020, and based on reporting from the WSJ, Juul didn't make the cut. Altria most recently valued its stake in Juul at $1.6 billion.Juul's market share of the US e-cigarette market has dropped to second place, behind Reynolds American's Vuse brand, according to the report. In 2021, the company saw net sales fall 11% to $1.3 billion while it recorded a net loss of $259 million, according to a disclosure to employees.But the blow to Altria and its investment in Juul could be a boon for other US tobacco manufacturers that are pivoting to e-cigarettes, including Reynolds and NJOY Holdings. British American Tobacco, which owns Reynolds, saw its stock fall 1% in Wednesday trades.Also putting pressure on the tobacco industry, serving as a double whammy for Altria, is the FDA's Tuesday <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-announces-plans-proposed-rule-reduce-addictiveness-cigarettes-and-other-combusted-tobacco">announcement</a> that it <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-wants-nicotine-cigarettes-sold-us-reduced-2022-6">plans to lower the level of nicotine</a> in cigarettes, effectively making them less addictive.Reducing the addictiveness of cigarettes could lead to lower sales for tobacco companies over time, and for investors, it could alter the views of an industry that has historically proven defensive amid periods of economic stress.<div type="image" title="Altria stock price" height="537" width="624" msid="92395322" hostid="261" sizebytes="12458"></div>

Altria plunges 10% after report says FDA will ban Juul vaping products from the US market

<ul><li>The Indian government has proposed several changes to the <keyword id="44081" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cigarettes">Cigarettes</keyword> and Other <keyword id="406227" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="tobacco-products">Tobacco Products</keyword> (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003. </li><li>The changes are proposed to promote healthy living as almost 267 million Indians today consume tobacco in one form or the other. </li><li>However, the changes are set to hit India’s tobacco industry and pose a dilemma for some of its biggest tobacco companies like ITC and Godfrey Phillips. </li><li>The upcoming budget and stricter GST could only make it worse for the industry.</li></ul>The over <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/india-tobacco-law/indias-proposed-changes-to-anti-smoking-law-face-objections-from-tobacco-industry-idINKBN29B1L4">$12 billion</a> Indian tobacco industry has a new problem at its doorstep, as the government is set to enforce strict regulations around the consumption of tobacco, mainly cigarettes. While the need for regulations around tobacco is to be lauded as it impacts the health of millions, in a year where the government has to ensure its cash flow remains strong, it remains to be seen whether Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will hurt the likes of India’s big tobacco companies, ITC. For ITC, cigarette sales alone account for 46% of its total revenue – a whopping $6 billion in FY20. The Indian government has proposed several changes to the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003. Here are the proposed changes: <ul><li>Tobacco products will not be sold to persons under the age of 21. </li><li>Sale of tobacco products will be prohibited within 100 yards to 100 metres of an educational institution.</li><li>Retail sale of loose cigarettes will not be allowed. </li><li>Retailers will have to obtain a mandatory license, which will be subject to annual renewal. </li><li>All shops selling tobacco products will have to set up advertising and promotional content to show the harmful effects of tobacco.</li></ul>The changes are set to come into force from February 1, 2021. The changes are proposed to promote healthy living as almost 267 million Indians today consume tobacco in one form or the other. According to a report by <a href="https://globaltobaccoindex.org/upload/assets/3Z3etsFtAPNhMM3sovQgfULM4uTjafVS7mLvQe2He5CHQOmy49.pdf">Global Tobacco Index</a>, the economic cost of diseases caused by tobacco accounts for over $22.4 billion in India. However, the proposed implementation of these products has already seen a dissent from India’s retailers and tobacco industry. According to a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/india-tobacco-law/indias-proposed-changes-to-anti-smoking-law-face-objections-from-tobacco-industry-idINKBN29B1L4">Reuters report</a>, India’s tobacco companies will vehemently oppose the new rules, some of whom have already begun to see the impact in the stock market. One of India’s biggest tobacco companies that generates <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/the-33-billion-itc-one-of-indias[%E2%80%A6]ks-seems-to-have-turned-a-corner/articleshow/79641456.cms">nearly ₹2 billion in cash every year</a>, ITC, has been an underperformer in the stock market till about two months ago when it saw a recovery in its share price. <div type="image" title="itc stock" msid="80340429" hostid="261"></div> The Federation of Retailers Association of India had also appealed to the Prime Minister to roll back the changes proposed under COTPA. The association said that the changes were aimed at destroying small retailers without really impacting India’s big retailers. “By making age old trade practices like selling loose cigarettes a cognizable offence and an imprisonment of 7 years for small violations makes small traders look like heinous criminals. Compared to a 2-year imprisonment for extortion or for dangerous driving that can cause death, this is the extreme of the extremes. This puts paan, bidi and cigarette sellers in the same crime list category as a person voluntarily throwing acid on someone or causing death by negligence etc. How can anybody be so insensitive while drafting the amendment towards poor, marginalized people who are struggling to earn their daily living?,” said Ram Asre Mishra, President, Federation of Retailers Association of India. The association also said that the change of area near an educational institution where tobacco can be sold from 100 yards to 100 metres will hurt small time retailers who will have to pack their bags and move. “As per law, we do not sell tobacco products to minors. In congested and heavily populated cities, such a restriction is impractical. Petty retailers will have to vacate their place without any means to support their livelihoods. Moreover, if a new educational institution will come up within 100 metres of the retailer’s location and he will again be asked to move,” said Gulab Chand Khoda, Joint Secretary of FRAI. Here’s why the government could be pushing to stop the retail sale of loose cigarettes. According to ITC’s annual report from 2020, it is estimated that on account of illegal cigarettes alone, revenue loss to the Government is almost ₹15,000 crore per annum. “About 68% of the total tobacco consumed in the country remains outside the tax net,” said the report. Here’s a look at the taxes paid by ITC, which doesn’t even include the 28% GST on cigarettes which is a huge revenue factor for the government. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">ITC </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2019 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2020 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Current Tax </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹4441.97 crore </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹5849.24 crore </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Deferred Tax </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹(411.21) crore </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹130.60 crore </td></tr></tbody></table> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The tobacco industry has a long history of liaisoning with the government to influence policies" comment="subhead" text="The tobacco industry has a long history of liaisoning with the government to influence policies">The tobacco industry has a long history of liaisoning with the government to influence policies</cmsannotation> A recent report by the Global Tobacco Index said that the tobacco industry, directly or indirectly, often reaches out to the government for changes in favour of the industry. The report cited instances from the ban of electronic cigarettes and taxation of tobacco, where industry leaders pushed for changes in government policies. Talking about the taxation policies, the report cited that Godfrey Phillips in its annual report had spoken about the stringent taxation of cigarettes. “It said “High level of taxation” has “led to the rise in illicit cigarette trade”, and conveniently linked that to “consequent loss of revenue to the government.”. It said “various industry bodies and corporates have urged the government to consider bringing the taxation on cigarettes to pre-GST levels.” This very rhetoric of decreasing tax rates so as to tackle illicit trade has been exercised by various tobacco companies: Golden Tobacco Limited, Godfrey Phillips, and ITC,” said the report. Here’s how India fared in the Tobacco Industry Interference Index. The score determines the interference by the industry in government policies – higher the score, higher the interference. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Year </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">India’s score </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2020 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">61 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2019 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">69 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2017 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">72 </td></tr></tbody></table>Source: Global Tobacco Index <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The upcoming Budget could change the game" comment="subhead" text="The upcoming Budget could change the game">The upcoming Budget could change the game</cmsannotation> The Budget has always mentioned changes for the tobacco industry. In the Budget 2020, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman hiked the excise duty paid for cigarettes. The National Calamity Contingent Duty (NCCD) on cigarettes was increased by 212% to 388% depending on the length of the cigarette sticks. And the upcoming <keyword id="8420431" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="budget-2021">Budget 2021</keyword> could once again change the game. Analysts believe that the government may ask the tobacco industry to pay up more. “Possibility of GST hike in the Budget or during any GST council meets remains high due to weak government finances amid the COVID-19 situation,” said analysts at <a href="https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/government-looking-to-raise-minimum-age-of-cigarette-smoking-to-21-6310661.html">Motilal Oswal Securities</a>. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/here-are-the-major-changes-that-could-reportedly-come-up-with-the-union-budget-2021-by-nirmala-sitharaman/articleshow/80325146.cms">Budget 2021: From Income Tax deductions to creating jobs and boosting healthcare – Here’s all that could be in Nirmala Sitharaman’s fiscal plans</a>

Indian government’s budget dilemma – curb the sale of cigarettes or let the over $12 billion tobacco industry provide the much needed cash

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Insider obtained an internal listing of all of a tobacco giant's recent political contributions.</li><li>The company donated to roughly 800 candidates for state legislature, political action committees, and ballot initiatives.</li></ul>Menthol in cigarettes and flavored cigars could soon be outlawed, as the US Food and Drug Administration and state legislatures carefully prepare to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fda-working-to-ban-menthol-cigarettes-flavored-cigars-biden-approves-2021-4">regulate or legislate</a> them into history.But one tobacco giant — <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/reynolds-american">Reynolds American</a> — is actively spreading millions of dollars to hundreds of state-level political candidates and political action committees, according to an internal corporate governance document reviewed by Insider.<keyword id="13995146" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="reynolds-american" source="Orion">Reynolds American</keyword>, best known for brands such as Newport and Camel cigarettes, spread nearly $6 million among more than 800 state-level political candidates, political action committees, and ballot initiative committees during 2021, an analysis of the document indicates.In all, Reynolds American directly donated to candidates and committees in 31 states plus the District of Columbia, according to its document. Florida, California, Georgia, and New Jersey were among Reynolds American's top targets.Reynolds American also donated an additional $3.84 million to federal-level political committees and organizations, the vast majority going to Republican-aligned groups.Itself owned by <keyword id="12086836" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="british-american-tobacco" source="Orion">British American Tobacco</keyword>, Reynolds American is the parent company of the American Snuff Company, Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, and the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, which produces the globally popular Newport and Camel cigarettes. Newport is one of the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8871779/">leading menthol cigarette brands</a> in the country.Though not legally obligated to, Reynolds American compiles an annual list of political contributions across federal- and state-level <keyword id="11893346" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="politics" source="Orion">politics</keyword>.The company's list of contributions is not perfect — the document contains some misspellings and at least once mixed up a candidate's party affiliation. Reynolds American's document states it made a campaign contribution to New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, but Grisham's office told Insider the governor received no such contribution, which state campaign finance filings support.But the data provides a glimpse into how the nation's second-largest tobacco company is attempting to broadly influence lawmakers and otherwise participate in low-profile elections that may nevertheless have notable policy implications for companies that market smoking products. Reynolds American favored conservatives in its political giving, with more than 80% of its 2021 contributions — more than $5 million — going to Republican candidates and committees. Democrats and Democrat-aligned committees, however, received less than $700,000 altogether from Reynolds American.Reynolds American did not respond to Insider's several requests for comment.But Reynolds American, in a <a href="https://assets.ctfassets.net/3zg3cmh1wlag/6CDaZvyWzvbExa9BEBQkgi/aec625801ac0f9fc2748608abf9506c9/Political_Contribution_Policy_Disclosure_April_2021_Final.pdf">posting on its website,</a> explained its political donations are "consistent with the interests of their businesses" and guiding principles and beliefs. Reynolds American says it considers several factors when donating to a politician, including geography and whether a politician serves on committees overlapping with the <keyword id="13115232" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tobacco-industry" source="Orion">tobacco industry</keyword>'s interests."Contributions must be lawful, and in the interests of the organization rather than the individual interests of any employee, officer, or director," the website says. "All proposed corporate contributions go through a review process to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, and to determine that they are in the best interests of the RAI companies."Insider reached out to more than 25 of the candidates who received money from Reynolds American, but none were willing to speak on the record about their Reynolds American-related contributions.<h2>Much at stake for Big Tobacco</h2>In <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-commits-evidence-based-actions-aimed-saving-lives-and-preventing-future-generations-smokers">2021, the FDA announced</a> its intention to prevent "future generations of smokers" by banning menthol cigarettes, flavored cigars, and other similar products. And recently, in <a href="https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-proposes-rules-prohibiting-menthol-cigarettes-and-flavored-cigars-prevent-youth-initiation">April 2022</a>, the FDA proposed a set of rules and product standards that would ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars from hitting the shelves."The proposed rules would help prevent children from becoming the next generation of smokers and help adult smokers quit," said Xavier Becerra, the Health and Human Services secretary.Tobacco companies have not sat idle. Reynolds American alone has spent $2.56 million to lobby the federal government in 2021 and is on pace to spend $2.8 million in lobbying, according to federal congressional lobbying data compiled by nonpartisan research organization <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/clients/summary?cycle=2021&amp;id=D000067317">OpenSecrets</a>.Cathy Callaway, the senior director of prevention for the <keyword id="13995148" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="american-cancer-society-cancer-action-network" source="Orion">American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network</keyword>'s state and local campaigns team, told Insider that the company's focus on Washington, DC, best exemplifies the organization's grip on the federal government."The DC numbers, to me, speaks to the investments they're making in Congress, probably around FDA regulation of tobacco products and certainly the recent rule that was proposed by FDA to end the sale of, or to prohibit menthol and flavored cigars." <div type="image" title="Ashley Moody and Ron DeSantis" height="1437" width="2875" msid="91710141" hostid="261"></div>There's also plenty of tobacco-related action at the state level.Matt Myers, the president of the <keyword id="13995149" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="campaign-for-tobacco-free-kids" source="Orion">Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids</keyword>, told Insider that many of the states where Reynolds American is contributing political money to are ones that have recently introduced or are discussing restrictions on tobacco products.While Reynolds American and its parent company, British American Tobacco, have both pledged to reduce "the <a href="https://www.reynoldsamerican.com/about-us/our-ethos">health impact of our business</a>" and cut down on <a href="https://www.bat.com/group/sites/UK__9D9KCY.nsf/vwPagesWebLive/DO9DEM4L#">combustible products,</a> they also fight against lawmakers trying to codify anti-tobacco and vaping measures, he said."Reynolds claims that it's no longer opposing tobacco control measures because it too supports a smoke-free future, but its political giving tells a completely different story," Myers said. "Its giving is directed towards individuals and places that in recent years have been considering restrictions on menthol cigarettes."In late 2020, California lawmakers agreed to institute a ban on flavored tobacco products with Senate Bill 793. Tobacco companies, including Reynolds American and affiliates, have since donated more than $20 million dollars to the <a href="https://cal-access.sos.ca.gov/Campaign/Committees/Detail.aspx?id=1431407&amp;session=2021&amp;view=received">California Coalition for Fairness,</a> which opposes the legislature's decision and succeeded in getting the issue of flavored tobacco onto the ballot for the 2022 midterm elections. This delayed the implementation of the California legislature's law.In addition to donating to the coalition, Reynolds American's political spending document reveals extensive contributions to the campaigns of individual lawmakers across California, donating $161,500 to the candidates in 2021 alone, more than two-thirds of which went to Republican candidates. In all, Reynolds American donated to 34 candidates in California in 2021. That's 28%, or more than a quarter, of all of the seats in the state legislature.Both Myers and Callaway told Insider that Reynolds American has historically been a supporter of tobacco "preemption" laws, or working with state governments to pass legislation making it harder for local communities from implementing their own tobacco control legislation. Florida — Reynolds American's second most popular target for political contributions in 2021, according to its own data — is an example of a state that <a href="https://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=71450&amp;">passed legislation in 2021</a> preventing local communities from changing the minimum age of using and possessing tobacco as well as regulating the marketing and sale of the product.Florida Gov. <keyword id="11913103" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ron-desantis" source="Orion">Ron DeSantis</keyword> received $25,000 from Reynolds American in March 2021, just two months before signing it into law in May.Then, seven months later, DeSantis received an additional $25,000 from the tobacco giant. The company also donated $50,000 to Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody's campaign in several increments in late 2021 and early 2022.Despite assurances from the company that it's moving away from combustible tobacco products, Myers said the company's political spending is simply "business as usual.""They've always used giving to prevent meaningful tobacco control legislation from passing, and this demonstrates that there has been no decrease in that whatsoever," he said.

How an American tobacco giant is quietly investing big money in hundreds of political races across the nation

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Highly processed foods are addictive by the same standards deeming tobacco addictive, a study says. </li><li>The authors say the label can push forward public health policy, destigmatize obesity, and save lives.</li></ul>Highly processed foods like packaged cookies and potato chips can be addictive — and that designation can support policies that improve Americans' health and even save lives, researchers argue in a <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.16065">new paper in the journal Addiction</a>. While <a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0117959">some past research</a> has supported <a href="https://www.insider.com/why-you-cant-resist-pumpkin-spiced-products-according-to-expert-2021-10">the controversial concept of food addiction</a>, the study authors are the first to claim such addictions are possible using the scientific standards set for tobacco products.Labeling certain foods as addictive, the researchers say, can better hold manufacturers accountable and improve treatments for people who feel powerless against foods like doughnuts and french fries. "In tobacco, understanding these products were not just 'habit forming,' but truly addictive, motivated public health approaches that included the addition of warning labels, restricting of advertising to children, and economic incentives to avoid tobacco products," lead author <a href="https://lsa.umich.edu/psych/people/faculty/agearhar.html">Ashley Gearhardt</a> told Insider. "This led to one of the biggest public health victories in modern times and saved millions of lives," she said. "Given the widespread public health costs associated with highly processed foods, I would like to see similar approaches occur to change a food environment that is dominated by highly processed foods that pushes profits over health." <h2>Tobacco and junk foods have similar qualities </h2>To come to their conclusion, Gearhardt, a psychologist who directs the University of Michigan's <a href="https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/fastlab">Food and Addiction Science and Treatment Lab</a>, and her co-author <a href="https://fbri.vtc.vt.edu/people-directory/primary-faculty/difeliceantonio.html">Alexandra DiFeliceantonio, </a>an appetitive neuroscientist at Virginia Tech, looked at the criteria the US Surgeon General used to identify cigarettes as addictive in 1988: they cause compulsive use, lead to mood-altering effects, and are highly reinforcing.The researchers also included "can trigger intense cravings" as a fourth criterion, based on the past few decades of addiction research. <a href="https://fbri.vtc.vt.edu/people-directory/primary-faculty/difeliceantonio.html"></a>Point by point, Gearhardt and DiFeliceantonio laid out evidence that they believe shows highly-processed foods, or HPFs, meet each benchmark.For example, they say the fact that most people continue to eat such foods even when faced with serious diet-related health consequences like <a href="https://www.insider.com/5-physical-signs-you-might-have-diabetes-according-to-expert-2022-4">diabetes</a> is evidence that HPFs can prompt compulsive use. As for HPFs' mood-altering effects, the study authors point to research showing that <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21549138/">sweets lead to high ratings of "euphoria"</a> and that junk foods <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3941202/">prompt a dopamine response</a> in the reward centers of the brain akin to nicotine."We see that people use tobacco products and HPFs for many of the same reasons — to reduce negative moods and to increase positive moods — and the degree to which these substances are mood altering is extremely similar," Gearhardt told Insider. The researchers say that HPFs are "reinforcing" because, among other reasons, <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29331366/">people eat them</a> past the point of satiety. HPFs meet the "cravings" criterion in part because <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27397863/">research shows cravings</a> for them activate similar brain pathways as other addictive substances. "Of note, there is no biomarker in the brain that tells us whether something is addictive or not. Identifying that tobacco products were addictive really boiled down to these four criteria and these criteria have stood up to decades of scientific evaluation," Gearhardt said in a press release. "Highly processed foods meet every single one of these criteria." <h2>Eating disorder specialists say the term 'food addiction' promotes diet culture </h2>Whether sugary or greasy foods are addictive has long been debated in the medical community. A 2014 <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763414002140" target="_blank" title="Link: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763414002140" rel="noopener">review</a> of studies in the journal Neuroscience &amp; Biobehavioral Reviews found little evidence that the brain responds to food the same way it does to, say, opiates. But that doesn't mean some people can't experience addictive behaviors around certain foods, as evidence and <a href="https://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2015/06/15/im-an-addict-a-food-addict">plenty of anecdotes show</a>. But labeling certain foods addictive can backfire, <a href="http://lisadubreuil.com/">Lisa Du Breuil</a>, a clinical social worker in Massachusetts who treats people with both substance use and eating disorders, told Insider. For one, it can pathologize pleasure. Seeking out highly-caloric foods is built into our DNA. "The reward pathway has evolved to make sure we're doing things that ensure our survival," like eating rich foods, having sex, and nurturing our babies, she said. Food also doesn't seem to meet another key characteristic of an addictive substance: tolerance, or needing more and more of it over time to achieve the same "high," nutritionist Tansey Boggon <a href="https://www.joyfuleatingnutrition.com/blog/debunking-diet-and-nutrition-myths/food-addiction-fact-or-fallacy/">wrote on her blog</a>. <a href="https://health.usnews.com/wellness/food/articles/2018-11-16/sugar-is-addictive-bs-these-health-pros-say">Some experts, including Du Breuil,</a> also argue that a solution to addiction — abstinence — is at odds with <a href="https://www.insider.com/guides/health/diet-nutrition/intuitive-eating">intuitive eating</a>, which has been <a href="https://foodinsight.org/the-science-behind-intuitive-eating/#:~:text=The%20authors%20collected%20data%20online,eating%20and%20body%20image%20concerns.">shown to heal</a> an unhealthy relationship with food.If you have a history of dieting or forbidding certain foods, "you've been creating this false sense of scarcity, and when you stop doing that, food looses its 'addictive' nature," Du Breuil said. "I've seen it over and over." Du Breuil added the food addiction narrative can be perceived as fatphobic, and <a href="https://www.insider.com/dr-mike-says-lyme-patient-could-have-died-fat-bias-2022-1">weight stigma</a> can lead people in bigger bodies to overeat less healthy foods.<h2>Destigmatizing people who feel out of control around highly processed foods</h2>Gearhardt told Insider her work can help destigmatize people who feel out of control around highly processed foods, including those with obesity or binge eating disorder, "by calling out the role of HPFs and the food industry in creating these products." <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195666314001196?casa_token=wfvZKaVJ2U8AAAAA:WEhc_vWJ3m9eltVfAJnsLLAcZdbdMyVLXMf8fG1kC_-TV0MkuNgsWpO_VFken-snvDHLnp93Ig">Some research</a> does indeed show that the food-addiction model can reduce blame and fear around fatness. Ultimately, the study authors say denying highly processed foods' addictive nature will only delay action that could save lives — a mistake they don't want the US to repeat from the lost years before tobacco was deemed addictive. "Unlike smoking, we all need to eat," they wrote in the paper. "In the past 40 years, HPFs have become familiar substances that dominate the food environment, but we cannot lose the saliency of their potential to be addictive and harmful."

Highly processed foods like cookies and chips are addictive, much like tobacco, researchers argue

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6356687" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="canada" source="Orion">Canada</keyword> is moving to become the first country to require health warnings on every cigarette.</li><li>The message will read "poison in every puff," the country's associate health minister said.</li></ul>Canada is moving to make tobacco companies print health warnings on individual cigarettes in an effort to slash the number of smokers in the country.Associate health minister Carolyn Bennett <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2022/06/government-of-canada-proposes-to-print-health-warnings-on-individual-cigarettes.html">announced new plans to crack down on cigarette use</a> on Friday, with the government saying tobacco was the "leading preventable cause of illness and premature death" in Canada.Health Canada said in a statement that it plans to have the warnings printed on all "individual cigarettes, cigars that have a filter, and cigarette tubes.""Labeling the tipping paper of cigarettes and other tobacco products would make it virtually impossible to avoid health warnings altogether," Health Canada said. "If implemented, Canada would be the first country in the world to introduce such a requirement."The message currently being considered is "poison in every puff," though that may change, Bennett told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jun/11/written-warning-on-every-cigarette-in-canadian-world-first">a press conference Friday</a>.The introduction of the new messaging is subject to a 75-day public consultation period that began Saturday, the government said.Terry Dean, the president of the Canadian Lung Association, <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/news/2022/06/government-of-canada-proposes-to-print-health-warnings-on-individual-cigarettes.html">called the move</a> a "bold and impactful strategy, one that will continue Canada's trend of being a leader in tobacco control."The government is also moving to make tobacco companies put more health warnings on their packaging, such as warnings of stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, and cervical cancer.In 2001, <a href="https://tobaccolabels.ca/countries/canada/">Canada became the first country</a> to require tobacco manufacturers to place graphic photos warning of the dangers of <keyword id="12427629" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="smoking" source="Orion">smoking</keyword> on half of the front and half of the back of their packaging. The move has since been adopted by the likes of the UK and Australia. Around 48,000 Canadians die from smoking-related illnesses each year, according to the government. Data <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220505/dq220505c-eng.htm">published by Statistics Canada last month</a> showed that 10% of Canadians smoke regularly.The Canadian government <a href="https://www.unsmoke.ca/unsmoke-2035">has launched a campaign to halve the number</a> of regular smokers by 2035.

Canada plans to make tobacco companies print health warnings on individual cigarettes

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11893281" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="walmart" source="Orion">Walmart</keyword> is pulling <keyword id="12086838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cigarettes" source="Orion">cigarettes</keyword> from sale in some stores, The WSJ reported.</li><li>In some stores, <keyword id="12372836" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tobacco" source="Orion">tobacco</keyword> shelves will make way for self-checkouts and grab-and-go food, per the report.</li></ul>Walmart is pulling cigarettes from sale in some stores, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2Fwalmart-stops-selling-cigarettes-in-some-stores-11648459800%3Fmod%3DSearchresults_pos1%26page%3D1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal reported</a>.Tobacco shelves will make way for self-checkouts, grab-and-go food, and candy in some stores in California, Florida, Arkansas, and New Mexico, according to the report Monday, which was confirmed by a Walmart spokesperson.The spokesperson, quoted in The Journal, said Walmart was "always looking at ways to meet our customers' needs while still operating an efficient business" but added that the company didn't plan to halt all tobacco sales.Walmart is the world's largest brick-and-mortar retailer. It has more than 5,000 stores in the US, where it employs 1.6 million people, <a href="https://corporate.walmart.com/about/united-states" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to company figures.</a>Marlboro-maker Altria's <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/mo-stock">stock</a> was down 1.9% in pre-market trading Monday.Walmart already can't sell cigarettes in some municipalities, including New York City, that have banned tobacco sales in the same premises as pharmacies. Walmart competitor Target <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1996-08-29-9608290222-story.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">stopped selling tobacco products altogether in 1996</a> and CVS did the same <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cvss-tobacco-ban-wont-impact-cigarette-sales-2014-2">in 2014</a>.Walmart, already one of the largest pharmacy chains in the US, is attempting to build a <keyword id="11897506" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="healthcare" source="Orion">healthcare</keyword> empire. Last year, for example, its medical division <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-health-is-gearing-up-to-offer-telehealth-across-the-country-2021-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bought MeMD</a>, a telehealth provider.Cigarettes are the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/lung/basic_info/risk_factors.htm#:~:text=People%20who%20smoke%20cigarettes%20are,the%20risk%20of%20lung%20cancer." target="_blank" rel="noopener">leading cause of lung cancer</a>.Tensions around the issue of selling cigarettes as Walmart expands its healthcare business sparked internal debate at the company, according to The Journal.Doug McMillon, Walmart CEO, challenged other executives to find a way to stop selling tobacco, The Journal reported, citing anonymous individuals familiar with the discussions. Some executives were of the opinion that Walmart shouldn't be in the business of "morally policing" its shoppers, The Journal said, while others suggested self-checkouts would save money on staffing.Walmart didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Walmart is pulling cigarettes from sale in some stores, report says

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Smoking remains the largest preventable cause of death.</li><li>Members of <keyword id="11893699" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="congress" source="Orion">Congress</keyword> have nevertheless invested in <keyword id="12372836" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tobacco" source="Orion">tobacco</keyword> companies.</li></ul>Weeks before the coronavirus pandemic became a public-health crisis in America, Congress was fixated on another respiratory calamity.A mysterious lung illness was <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/severe-lung-disease.html">killing</a> dozens of people and sickening thousands more. It <a href="https://time.com/5745483/vaping-illness-brands/">seemed</a> to be linked to counterfeit vapes — <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2020/p0117-evali-cases-decline.html">particularly</a> those containing THC, the high-inducing compound in marijuana.That drove Congress to action. The Democratic-led House <a href="https://www.rollcall.com/2020/02/28/house-passes-bill-to-restrict-flavored-tobacco-products/">passed a bill</a> to ban all flavored tobacco, including menthol cigarettes and all kinds of e-cigarettes meant to offer smokers tasty alternatives.The author of that bill was Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey, who held particular influence over public-health policy as the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee. But while Pallone was shepherding the bill through Congress and accusing Big Tobacco of <a href="https://pallone.house.gov/media/press-releases/pallone-introduces-comprehensive-legislation-address-youth-tobacco-epidemic">preying on children</a>, his wife, Sarah Pallone, <a href="https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public_disc/financial-pdfs/2020/10040439.pdf">held up to $15,000 worth of shares</a> in the tobacco giant <keyword id="12736929" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="philip-morris" source="Orion">Philip Morris</keyword> International. The anti-tobacco legislation would have benefited the Iqos brand of heated flavorless tobacco, which had <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/04/business/iqos-us-launch/index.html">recently received authorization</a> from the Food and Drug Administration and was being licensed by <keyword id="12736930" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="altria" source="Orion">Altria</keyword> in the US.Altria is the parent company of Philip Morris USA, which also sells Marlboro menthol — a product that would have been banned under the anti-tobacco legislation. Mary Werden, Pallone's spokeswoman, did not answer questions about whether the investment presented a <keyword id="11898797" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="conflict-of-interest" source="Orion">conflict of interest</keyword> but said only that Sarah Pallone <a href="https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public_disc/ptr-pdfs/2021/20019319.pdf">no longer owned</a> stock in Philip Morris after selling off her shares in August. The stock appeared to be held as part of a trust and paid up to $1,000 in dividends in 2020. Annual filings show that Sarah Pallone also <a href="https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public_disc/ptr-pdfs/2019/20011154.pdf">sold</a> up to $15,000 worth of shares in Altria in 2019. It's not clear when she first purchased shares in the companies, but both Altria and Philip Morris stock appear in the congressman's annual financial-disclosure forms from <a href="https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public_disc/financial-pdfs/2013/9102962.pdf">2012</a> to 2019. Pallone's situation illustrates how federal lawmakers' personal finances can clash with their political persona and public policy positions.Federal disclosures that Insider reviewed indicated that at least 16 members of Congress or their families had invested in tobacco companies from the start of 2020 through 2021. The tally is part of the exhaustive <keyword id="12727727" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="conflicted-congress" source="Orion">Conflicted Congress</keyword> project, in which Insider reviewed nearly 9,000 financial-disclosure reports for every sitting lawmaker and their top-ranking staffers.Pallone isn't the only anti-tobacco champion in Congress with personal financial ties to tobacco giants, who together spend millions of dollars annually lobbying the federal government and whose <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/pm-stock">shares</a> have <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/mo-stock">largely</a> risen this year.Rep. Ed Case, a Democrat of Hawaii, has <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/2786?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22%5C%22Rules%5C%22%22%5D%7D&amp;s=1&amp;r=62">cosponsored a bill</a> to raise tobacco taxes. In May he <a href="https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public_disc/ptr-pdfs/2021/20018706.pdf">sold</a> up to $100,000 worth of stock in Altria. Case's office did not respond to a request for comment. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a Democrat of New Jersey who has <a href="http://www.spartaindependent.com/news/local-news/officials-declare-war-on-vaping-DF531630">declared</a> a "war on youth <keyword id="12645697" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="vaping" source="Orion">vaping</keyword>" and cosponsored Pallone's bill, <a href="https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public_disc/ptr-pdfs/2021/20018333.pdf">sold</a> up to $50,000 worth of shares in Philip Morris International and as much as $50,000 worth of Altria shares in February. <a href="https://www.rollcall.com/2021/02/12/gottheimer-anti-vaping-advocate-gets-tobacco-campaign-cash-and-dividends/">CQ Roll Call first reported the sales</a>. Altria owns <a href="https://www.altria.com/about-altria/who-we-are?src=topnav">35% of Juul Labs</a>, which has cornered the vaping market and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/special-report-juul-disregarded-early-evidence-it-was-hooking-teens-2019-11">often gets blamed</a> for the rise in teen vaping. Gottheimer's spokeswoman, Alexandra Caffrey, said that a third party managed his portfolio and that he received only statements of transactions. She did not name the third party or say whether he'd given any direction to the money manager about which stocks to avoid. "All decisions related to buying and selling of securities are done so without Josh's approval," Caffrey said. The American Vaping Association, an advocacy group, panned the lawmakers' investments. Smaller e-cigarette companies have complained that severe restrictions on their products benefit corporate tobacco giants trying to push them out of the market. Philip Morris, Altria, and British American Tobacco have all expanded into smokeless tobacco."Investments in tobacco companies should not per se be viewed with hostility," said Gregory Conley, the group's president. "What is worthy of derision is members of Congress profiting off of incumbent tobacco manufacturers while cheering on measures to ban smoke-free nicotine products that directly compete with these corporate behemoths, as both Rep. Pallone and Rep. Gottheimer have done." <div type="image" title="Roy Blunt" height="1333" width="1777" msid="88282283" hostid="261"></div><h2>Tuberville and Upton among tobacco investors</h2>Members of Congress must disclose all their stock trades in a public database within no more than 45 days of the transaction. But they're still allowed to sit on congressional committees, write legislation, and vote on bills that might affect them financially.Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a freshman Republican of Alabama who sits on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, which has authority over <keyword id="11897506" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="healthcare" source="Orion">healthcare</keyword> regulations and health agencies, holds up to $100,000 worth of Philip Morris International stock when counting both an account for himself and a joint account, his latest annual disclosures show.His spokeswoman, Ryann DuRant, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sen-tommy-tuberville-alabama-violated-federal-law-late-stock-disclosures-2021-7">previously told Insider</a> that her boss did not personally make his own stock trades and had "long had financial advisors who actively manage his portfolio without his day-to-day involvement." But DuRant has not said whether Tuberville gives any direction to his advisors about which stocks to avoid, and when Insider followed up with her she said she didn't have anything new to add to her previous statement. Another senator with financial family ties to tobacco giants is Roy Blunt, a Republican of Missouri who's set to retire when his term expires in 2022. Blunt's wife, Abigail Perlman Blunt, is a lobbyist for the food giant Kraft Heinz, but when they got married in 2003 she was a lobbyist for Altria. (Altria used to own Kraft Foods but severed ties in 2007.)Blunt's latest annual financial disclosures show that Perlman Blunt holds up to $250,000 worth of Philip Morris International stock that in 2020 paid between $5,001 and $15,000 in dividends. (Members of Congress are required to report such holdings only in broad ranges.) Blunt has been one of the <a href="https://www.blunt.senate.gov/news/press-releases/blunt-led-funding-bill-provides-6th-consecutive-increase-for-life-saving-cost-saving-nih-research">most effective</a> proponents of expanding federal funding for medical research; his office did not respond to questions about whether that work was out of step with his wife's tobacco investments. Lobbying disclosures <a href="https://disclosurespreview.house.gov/ld/ldxmlrelease/2021/Q3/301313104.xml">show</a> that Perlman Blunt does not lobby the Senate. A 2020 annual disclosure showed that Amey Miller, the wife of Rep. Fred Upton, a Republican of Michigan, held shares in Philip Morris, but it didn't specify which division. Upton, who is on the Energy and Commerce Committee and previously chaired the powerful panel from 2011 to 2017, has voted to ban smoking on airplanes. His communications director, Billy Fuerst, described him as the "decisive swing vote to ban smoking in the workplace." Fuerst said that Upton hadn't personally invested in Philip Morris but that the shares were transferred to Miller when her mother died years ago."He also supported the STOCK Act and lists all of his transactions pursuant to federal law," Fuerst said. Despite <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2019/p1114-smoking-low.html">huge strides</a> in reducing tobacco use in the US over the past five decades, smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death, responsible for more than 480,000 deaths a year in the US, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/index.htm#beginning">according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>. The World Health Organization <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/11-05-2020-who-statement-tobacco-use-and-covid-19">has said</a> people who smoke are also more likely than nonsmokers to develop a serious case of COVID-19. In 2020, tobacco companies together spent more than $28 million to lobby the federal government, including Congress, <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/industries/summary?id=A02">according to an analysis by OpenSecrets</a>, a nonpartisan organization that tracks money in <keyword id="11893346" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="politics" source="Orion">politics</keyword>. But overall, Congress has moved toward stronger tobacco restrictions. In late 2019, President Donald Trump signed a law that <a href="https://www.insider.com/trump-raises-smoking-age-funds-gun-research-signs-spending-bill-2019-12">raised</a> the legal smoking age to 21 from 18. <div type="image" title="virginia.foxx" height="2357" width="3142" msid="88282285" hostid="261"></div><h2>Supporters of e-cigarettes also invest in tobacco giants</h2>Some members of Congress who've invested in large tobacco companies have <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1136/cosponsors">cosponsored legislation</a> to prevent the FDA from banning most e-cigarettes, such as Republican Reps. <a href="https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public_disc/ptr-pdfs/2021/20017967.pdf">Virginia Foxx</a> and Rep. <a href="https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public_disc/ptr-pdfs/2021/20019395.pdf">David Rouzer</a>, both of North Carolina, and <a href="https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public_disc/financial-pdfs/2020/10041557.pdf">Rep. John Rutherford</a>, a Republican of Florida. Rutherford holds shares of Philip Morris International, Altria, and British American Tobacco. Each investment is worth between $1,000 and $15,000, his latest <a href="https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public_disc/financial-pdfs/2020/10041557.pdf">annual disclosure</a> showed.Last year, Rouzer <a href="https://rouzer.house.gov/press-releases?ID=C30292E2-45E8-4E6E-A4D7-4D22572BF96E">praised</a> the Department of Agriculture for allowing tobacco growers to receive COVID-19 relief funds under Trump. During the 2020 election cycle, Rouzer was among the largest House recipients of tobacco-linked campaign cash, <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/summary.php?ind=A02&amp;cycle=2020&amp;recipdetail=H&amp;mem=Y">receiving $30,600</a> from PACs and individuals who work in the industry. The tobacco industry spent more than $8 million to support various candidates for Congress and the White House, 69% of whom were Republicans, <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/totals.php?cycle=2020&amp;ind=A02">according to OpenSecrets</a>. Large tobacco companies such as Altria also have political action committees — <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/altria-group/C00089136/pac-to-pac/2020">OpenSecrets data shows</a> that in the 2020 election cycle Altria's PAC gave $485,500 to Republican committees and $241,000 to Democratic ones.Rep. Rob Wittman, a Republican of Virginia, has also been supportive of the vaping industry while investing up to $15,000 in Philip Morris International. Through his spokeswoman, Sarah Newsome, Wittman said a financial advisor managed his stocks using a third-party investment manager "who implement trades at their own discretion without consulting with or getting input from their clients." "Mr. Wittman believes members of Congress should not improperly benefit from their role," Newsome said. "He supports measures to avoid conflicts of interest. He has placed his investments in the care of a brokerage to avoid any perceived ethical issues. He remains committed to accountability and transparency in government."Wittman, like all members of the House and the Senate, has the option to place his financial assets in a "qualified blind trust," which Congress <a href="https://www.ethics.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/286a4cf9-5aab-40ef-9a6c-bf2278e79e38/qualified-blind-trusts-guide---october-2020.pdf">describes</a> as the "most comprehensive approach" to "eliminate conflicts of interests and the appearance of them." But such blind trusts can be costly and time-consuming to formalize, and Wittman — along with most other members of Congress — has not established one.Only 10 lawmakers have taken the option to use a qualified blind trust, Insider found.The financial arrangement allows members to invest their money without any knowledge of or power to make decisions about stock trades. Rep. Dean Phillips, a Democrat of Minnesota, held up to <a href="https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public_disc/financial-pdfs/2020/10041411.pdf">$15,000 worth of Philip Morris International shares</a> but placed all his investments into a blind trust after an ethics complaint <a href="https://alphanews.org/ethics-complaint-filed-against-dean-phillips-over-stock-transactions/">accused him</a> of making timely investments before the pandemic. The other tobacco investors in Congress include Republican Reps. Pat Fallon, Pete Sessions, and August Pfluger, all of Texas, and Republican Reps. Diana Harshbarger of Tennessee and <a href="https://disclosures-clerk.house.gov/public_disc/ptr-pdfs/2020/20017172.pdf">Carol Devine Miller</a> of West Virginia. None responded to a request for comment.This story has been updated to clarify that Iqos is licensed under Altria in the United States and that Philip Morris USA sells Marlboro menthols.

You Searched For "tobacco products" and got 9 results

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Now, OTT platforms must display anti-tobacco warnings onscreen

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Altria plunges 10% after report says FDA will ban Juul vaping products from the US market

Matthew Fox

Indian government’s budget dilemma – curb the sale of cigarettes or let the over $12 billion tobacco industry provide the much needed cash

Sanchita Dash

How an American tobacco giant is quietly investing big money in hundreds of political races across the nation

Madison Hall,Walt Hickey

Highly processed foods like cookies and chips are addictive, much like tobacco, researchers argue

Anna Medaris

Canada plans to make tobacco companies print health warnings on individual cigarettes

Bill Bostock

Walmart is pulling cigarettes from sale in some stores, report says

Dr. Catherine Schuster-Bruce

Some of the same members of Congress pushing to restrict cigarettes and vapes are quietly investing in tobacco giants

Kimberly Leonard

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