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PRESS-RELEASE

On September 30, 2014, Moscow hosted the First International Conference on Smokers’ Rights. Delegates from Australia, Belarus, Croatia, Cuba, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Romania, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine attended the meeting – 16 countries that in total account for more than 250 million adult smokers.

The honorary guests of the Conference were Mikhail Boyarskiy, Co-chairman of the All-Russian Smokers’ Rights Movement, John Mallon, leader of FOREST Éireann (Ireland) and Samuel Nitisaputra, Secretary General of the Smokers’ Club of Indonesia. Andrey Loskutov, Executive Director of the All-Russian Smokers’ Rights Movement, acted as moderator of the meeting.

The evidence that cigarette prices and adverts affect young smokers is terribly weak. The government needs to base policy on evidence, not dogma.

By Patrick Basham

Tobacco policy currently rests on two claims: tobacco advertising and promotion are the major reasons why young people begin to smoke; and young people are particularly sensitive to the price of cigarettes. From these two claims follow the central elements of tobacco policy, namely that all forms of tobacco advertising and promotion, including tobacco displays, should be banned, and tobacco should be heavily taxed in order to prevent or at least reduce under-age tobacco use.

Unfortunately, neither of these claims nor policies meets the standards of evidence-based policymaking. Both are, instead, products of advocacy-based 'research' carried out by anti-tobacco lobby groups.

In evidence-based policymaking, as in evidence-based clinical medicine, practices and decisions are based on rigorous, systematic reviews of 'best practice', that is, therapies and interventions that work the best in reducing morbidity and mortality. Evidence, and evidence alone, not theory or tradition, drives practice.

Jesse speaks out on behalf of smokers and eloquently defends their right to smoke. "Smokers' Rights" was written by Jesse Goldberg abd Bill Flowerree and sung by Jesse Goldberg.

Thank You For Smoking 2006