Resource Library

Author: Vital Strategies

Watch this webinar, where Vital Strategies and Counter Tools bring together experts from North America for an interactive webinar, sharing experiences, resources and tools for effective implementation and enforcement of tobacco control policies at the point of sale.

Author: Teed et al (2024)

Author: World Health Organization

The ninth WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic tracks the progress made by countries in tobacco control since 2008 and, marks 15 years since the introduction of the MPOWER technical package which is designed to help countries implement the demand-reduction measures of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. 

Author: The Union (2022)

The Union partnered with experts to highlight experiences using best practices for effective enforcement and implementation of tobacco control laws. View the webinar presentations to hear lessons learned from real-world case studies.  

Author: The Union (2022)

The Union partnered with experts to highlight real world case studies on using innovative technology to support public monitoring of tobacco control laws. View the webinar presentations to learn about best practices and how these tools can improve implementation.  

Author: Vital Strategies

Three examples of education campaigns in Vietnam focusing on the health harms of smoking around others in public places and restaurants, smoking tobacco in the workplace, and the penalties applicable for people who smoke on public transport.

Author: Vital Strategies

Two examples of educational campaign ads that ran in Bangladesh to inform the public of existing laws prohibiting smoking in public places, tobacco advertisements, promotion and sponsorship (TAPS) and sale of tobacco to and by minors. 

Author: Vital Strategies

This study was conducted to gauge the extent of implementation of the tobacco free film rule in India, to identify patterns in compliance and violations, and to identify opportunities for strengthening the rule.

Author: WHO (2015)

This report reviews the relevant legislation related to the POS advertising and display bans and examines experience with enforcement and monitoring in four countries: Ireland, Norway, Finland and the UK.

Author: WHO (2018)

Advanced practices and lessons learned from Parties in the implementation of Article 13, with a focus on combatting cross-border advertising and the depiction of tobacco in entertainment media.

Author: US Public Health Consortium

A joint statement from a consortium of US public health organizations setting forth principles to help health departments, decisionmakers, advocates, and other stakeholders advance equitable enforcement practices related to the purchase, possession, sale, and distribution of all tobacco products.

Author: SEATCA (2020)

A report detailing Implementation of Article 8 in the ASEAN region, 2020.

Author: SEATCA (2019)

A review of fiscal markings, track-and-trace mechanisms, and licensing systems in the ASEAN region.

Author: San Francisco Tobacco-Free Project

This case study describes the San Francisco Tobacco Retail Density Policy, examines the key strategies and lessons learned in developing a retail density policy, and explores the early impact of the policy in the first year of implementation.

Author: Male et al (2022)

This analysis focuses on understanding difficulties in managing industry engagement across government ministries and in developing effective whole-of government accountability for tobacco control.

Author: The Union (2021)

The Union is partnered with experts to highlight real world case studies on how the tobacco industry undermines tobacco control policy implementation and enforcement, with a focus on the retail environment. View the webinar presentations and learn about the strategies adopted to limit the impact of these tactics on the implementation of tobacco control policies. 

Author: Vital Strategies

Smokefree ad from India depicting the dangers of secondhand smoke and sharing information on the smoking ban in public places. Adaptions from Turkey and Bangladesh and the press release materials from each ad.

Author: Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

The Global Health Advocacy Incubator by Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids provides strategic support to advocates planning and executing high impact campaigns to enact and implement laws that save lives.

Author: Johns Hopkins University

This course offers free instructional training to people interested in learning more about tobacco control.

Author: Vital Strategies

Campaign Beacon is an online resource from Vital Strategies of tested and proven, best practice media campaign materials designed to support tobacco control health objectives.

Author: Kuipers et al. (2021)

This paper aims to stimulate a discussion on the potential for tobacco retail licencing in Europe and examines the cases of Finland, Hungary, France, Italy and Spain.

Author: Ian McLaughlin, Tobacco Control Legal Consortium (2010)

This report looks at retailer licensing to support enforcement, and for controlling the location and concentration of tobacco retailers and imposing additional restrictions on the sale and promotion of tobacco products.

Author: Counter Tobacco

This site is dedicated to countering tobacco at the point-of-sale and offers evidence-based descriptions of the problem, policy solutions, advocacy materials and news updates.

Author: SEATCA (2019)

A review of fiscal markings, track-and-trace mechanisms, and licensing systems in the ASEAN region.

Author: World Health Organization (2018)

The new tobacco laboratory guide is a useful resource for countries, and provides regulators and policymakers with comprehensible information on how to test tobacco products, what products to test, and how to use testing data in a meaningful way to support regulation.

Author: World Health Organization (2018)

The “Tobacco product regulation: basic handbook” provides a basic reference document for non-scientist regulators in any country and serves as a tool for health authorities and other interested parties seeking resources and planning on how to monitor, evaluate, and regulate tobacco products. Further, the handbook includes relevant country case studies detailing specific approaches enacted globally.

Author: World Health Organization (2018)

This set of case study, focusing specifically on regulations of menthol in tobacco products, provide practical guidance to countries by describing effective regulatory strategies in tobacco product regulation, including lessons learned and challenges encountered in developing and implementing menthol related regulation.

Author: World Health Organization

The World Health Organizations Tobacco Free Initiative (TFI) list of key elements of legislation for tobacco control.

Author: Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Search and download factsheets and summaries of tobacco control legislation and regulations from around the world. Search by country, region, keyword, tobacco control measure, or type of legal action.

Author: STOP

This report uses publicly available information on tobacco industry interference in 34 countries and their respective governments’ responses to these interferences to interpret key findings and rank the countries on several interference indicators.

Author: Drope et al.

The sixth edition of Tobacco atlas and its companion website provide comprehensive guidance on tobacco control issues and tools used to counter them. Use the Tobacco Atlas to explore key issues and solutions and the companion website to search for country specific information.

Author: ASH Australia

"Countering Tobacco Tactics" is a guide to help policymakers and tobacco control advocates identify, monitor, expose, challenge, and counter tobacco industry tactics in order to prevent industry interference in public health and health policy.

Author: The Union

The Union’s FCTC Article 5.3 Toolkit provides step-by-step guidance for governments on preventing tobacco industry interference and protecting tobacco control laws and policies.

Author: NYC Health

This self-inspection checklist for food establishments by the NYC Bureau of Food Safety and Community Sanitation provides a checklist (on page 2, part 2) that covers compliance with various regulations, including smokefree, product regulation, and POS. 

Author: Various

Collection of example flyers and leaflets from tobacco control initiatives around the globe for different venues types, including restaurants, sports clubs, government buildings, tobacco retailers and more. 

Author: Drope & Glantz (2003)

This article describes how the British Columbia Capital Regional District systematically organized an educational campaign, enacted and enforced a series of bylaws, exposed industry interference to successfully pass and implement a 100% smokefree bylaw in all public places. 

Author: World Bank

This report analyzes how economic fear influences policymakers when contemplating tobacco control efforts. It also demonstrates the economic benefits of tobacco control policies and the responsibility of governments to reduce potential costs of tobacco control efforts.

Author: Thrasher et al. (2008)

This case study describes the impact of the sociocultural and political-economic context of Mexico on WHO-FCTC policy uptake. It examines advancing tobacco control policy through strategic, contextually-specific communication efforts and uses smokefree policy to illustrate barriers to compliance in the Mexican context.

Author: World Health Organization

This WHO FCTC glossary defines terms used in the FCTC and its instruments. It can be used for educational purposes and to aid a better understanding of the FCTC.

Author: National Health Service, UK

This document is England's official guide on their 2007 smokefree law. It is directed towards managers responsible for complying with the smokefree law in workplaces and public places.

Author: Rahmayanti et al. (2019)

This study analyzes the perception of smokefree policy within a university community service program and finds that while many people are aware of smoking's harmful effects, they do not know about smokefree policies, highlighting the need for community education, effective communication, and engagement. 

Author: World Health Organization

This publication contains the guidelines adopted by the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) at its second (2007), third (2008), fourth (2010) and fifth (2012) sessions. 

Author: World Health Organization

This report, WHO’s fourth in the series, provides a country-level examination of the global tobacco epidemic and identifies countries that have applied selected measures for reducing tobacco use. This report focuses on Enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship.

Author: World Health Organization

This document aims to provide background and contextual information on tobacco industry interference practices and how Contracting Parties to the WHO FCTC can monitor industry interference efforts and better implement FCTC Article 5.3 guidelines.

Author: World Health Organization

Tobacco industry interference remains the most significant barrier to the global implementation of Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC. This guide aims to assist parties in their efforts to implement and protect tobacco control efforts from tobacco industry interference. 

Author: Lee et al. (2012)

This article reviews published research on tobacco industry activities that interfere with tobacco control policies and encourage tobacco use in LMICs to more thoroughly understand industry practices and strategies in LMICs.

Author: University of California San Francisco

The University of California San Francisco database contains over 14 million archived documents on tobacco industry activities, including advertising, manufacturing, marketing, scientific research, and political activities. In particular, the database provides access to internal industry documents made public during United States v. Philip Morris USA Inc., et al. and other litigation cases.

Author: SEATCA

Tobacco Control Industry Watch provides facts and figures, publications, and media updates for the South East Asian Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA). With a focus on Articles 5.3 and 13, guidelines, toolkits, and in-country statuses are also available to further the effective implementation of the WHO FCTC in ASEAN countries. 

Author: Centre for Combating Tobacco

Tobacco Unmasked is the information portal of the Centre for Combating Tobacco in Sri Lanka. It provides information and profiles on tobacco companies, their employees, their allies, and other institutions linked with them. The portal also describes industry strategies and arguments against tobacco control efforts.

Author: The University of Bath

Tobacco Tactics investigates tobacco industry strategies and tactics for undermining tobacco control efforts and provides rigorously researched reports, profiles, and information on industry players, allies, and activities. 

Author: Landman et al. (2002)

This article analyzes tobacco industry documents to determine why industry-sponsored youth smoking prevention programs were developed, how they were used to fight tobacco control policy and programming, and their lack of effect on youth smoking prevalence. 

Author: Apollonio et al. (2008)

This article analyzes the tobacco industry self-regulation "We Card" program. It exposes "We Card" as ineffective and structured to improve the industry's public image and limit tobacco control policies and their enforcement.

Author: STOP

Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products (STOP) works to understand and expose the tobacco industry’s efforts to derail tobacco control and hook a new generation of users. STOP's Resources Archive arms and supports stakeholders with tools and resources to counter the industry, including the latest analyses, reports, and information on the industry’s tactics. 

Author: Ulucaniar et al. (2016)

This article outlines a model that provides an evidence-based summary of corporate political strategies used by the tobacco industry. The model enables public health practitioners to anticipate these strategies and develop realistic assessments of the industry’s claims.

Author: The Observatory

This website offers detailed information and data on the tactics used by the tobacco industry in Brazil, the legislative measures Brazil is adopting to meet FCTC and WHO directives, and the people and organizations involved with the tobacco industry that lobby against tobacco control measures in Brazil. The website is available in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Author: STOP

This report uses publicly available information on tobacco industry interference in 33 countries and their respective governments’ responses to these interferences to interpret key findings and rank the countries on several interference indicators.

Author: FIC Argentina

This report compiles case studies with the aim of exposing the tobacco industry's strategies for blocking tobacco control efforts and disseminates information on the counter efforts of four civil society organizations in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico.

Author: Gilmore et al. (2015)

This article explores the tobacco industry's practices in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), given the industry's growing interest, investment, and interference in these regions. It focuses on how exposing the industry's misconduct is necessary for both the implementation of the WHO FCTC and more 'endgame' solutions to the tobacco epidemic.

Author: Eriksen & Chaloupka (2007)

This article reviews and analyses the diffusion of clean indoor air laws and the economic and public health impacts of their implementation. While research sponsored by the tobacco industry has raised concerns regarding the economic impact of smoke-free laws, scientific evidence indicates that clean indoor air laws are low-cost, safe, and effective.

Author: Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Industry Watch project seeks to hold the tobacco industry accountable by providing facts about how tobacco companies operate and working to expose and stop the industry’s harmful activities. The Industry Watch website contains helpful resources, including factsheets, industry profiles, reports and studies, presentations, press releases, and key websites.

Author: STOP

The Crooked Nine report outlines the tobacco industry's strategies, techniques, and tactics to undermine tobacco control using case studies from around the world. It is designed to help the tobacco control community predict the industry's actions and counter industry interference. 

Author: The Africa Centre For Tobacco Industry Monitoring

The Africa Centre For Tobacco Industry Monitoring And Policy Research (ATIM) is an observatory that offers up-to-date information on activities and developments in the tobacco industry that could have an impact on tobacco control policies. ATIM provides industry monitoring across Africa, as recommended by the Guidelines for implementation of Article 5.3 of the WHO FCTC, evaluates the impact of tobacco control policy, and informs stakeholders within the tobacco control community of ongoing developments.

Author: ATCA

The African Tobacco Control Alliance (ATCA) is a Pan-African network of more than 120 civil society organizations that monitors and responds to industry interference and provides regional resources. This page provides case studies of African countries and organizations responding to tobacco industry interference.

Author: McDaniel et al. (2017)

This article is a case study ion Philip Morris' involvement in the cessation arena and an evaluation of how and why PM supports cessation programs. It illustrates a notable example of industry interference that undermines effective tobacco control.

Author: Various

This is a set of smokefree hospital strategic guides to equip those implementing smokefree policies with the tools for effective implementation and enforcement.