In the first part of this comment, I raised the issue that it is important to declare any conflict of interest with the Tobacco Industry, when expressing opinions in relation to tobacco and/or nicotine regulations or dispositions.
Following this reasoning, it would have been correct that in the comment from J.Cameron (May 12, BBC: Why are young people still taking up smoking?), she had warned the HIFA audience about her conflicts of interest with the tobacco industry.
Since according to https://tobaccotactics.org/article/jcic-international/
JCIC International is a public affairs and advocacy consultancy firm established in 2011 which specialises in “advocating the views of business in international forums”.
Its website reads: “We are public affairs and advocacy specialists. We understand the regulatory process at the national and international level. We represent both the public and the private sectors. We can engage stakeholders on your behalf or with you, on any issue, in any industry or sector, or any policy forum anywhere in the world.”
In turn, Cameron was Head of International Advocacy and International Regulatory Affairs for British American Tobacco (BAT) from 2001-2011 prior to founding JCIC International. During this time, she was responsible for “the provision of strategic public affairs advice and guidance to the BAT Group and its Board... on the impact of the world’s first health treaty- the FCTC (Framework Convention on Tobacco Control) and its Protocol on illicit trade.”
While in this role, it was Cameron’s duty to ensure that BAT’s interests were preserved “at both corporate level as well as being relevant to national policymakers in advance of governments taking part in formal multi-lateral negotiations”. Between 2001 and 2008, Cameron represented the transnational tobacco company’s interests and “headed all BAT delegations at FCTC negotiations”.
Also, between January 2020 and August 2021, Cameron took a break from her position at JCIC to work as Vice President of JUUL Labs. At the time, JUUL Labs was part-owned by Altria.
Exposing conflicts of interest helps to better understand the positions being presented.
Kind regards,
Eduardo
Dr. Eduardo Bianco
Director, Addiction Training Program for Health Professionals (ATHP)
Email: ebianco@nextgenu.org
Web: NextGenU.org
HIFA profile: Eduardo Bianco is a medical doctor and Cardiologist, Certified Tobacco Cessation Expert with a Masters in Prevention and Treatment of Addictive Disorders. Currently, he is Chair of the World Heart Federation Tobacco Expert Group. Dr. Biancos research examines tobacco control and cessation, and he is a prominent member of several organizations that address tobacco control in Latin America. Dr. Bianco has worked for 25 years in Uruguay and Latin America to promote and train in smoking cessation treatment and tobacco control policies. He is also the former Regional Coordinator for the Americas of the Framework Convention Alliance and former Technical Director of the MOH Center for International Cooperation for Tobacco. ebianco AT nextgenu.org
