According to the study commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO), the tobacco industry undermined Swiss health measures and garnered support from politicians and allies in other lobby groups, in particular the hospitality industry.

"Public-health advocates underestimated the power of the industry and now needed to do far more to uncover and expose Big Tobacco's tactics," said the report by two experts at the School of Medicine at San Francisco's University of California.

The WHO commissioned the report to analyze the influence Big Tobacco has over policymaking in individual countries.

"The tobacco industry in Switzerland, as in the United States and the rest of the world, has been using the same strategies over and over to fight science and tobacco-control policies," said the 129-page report. "Their well-organized network enables them to always stay up-to-date and exchange timely information and tested know-how between countries and regions."

Philip Morris and other tobacco companies have not commented on the study's findings.

The report, "The Tobacco Industry: Successful Efforts to Control Tobacco Policy-Making in Switzerland," can be accessed online.

COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE:

Your Turn! Post a public comment (read guidelines):

Name:
Comment: (limit 200 words)
Enter this word (help):	Change

GUIDELINES: 
To keep this feature useful for everyone, please:

1. Keep it clean, courteous, focused, and on-topic. Comments are meant for thoughtful discussion of the article published above.
   
   
2. Do not post personal requests for help or general promotions for your organization (Get help).
   
   
3. Proof your comments carefully, use good spelling and punctuation, and don't use ALL CAPS. Comments are published immediately and cannot be edited.

Deceptive, slanderous and commercially-motivated posts are prohibited. We reserve the right to remove comments not conforming to these guidelines. (Report a comment).

Have questions or feedback? Contact us.