Tobacco Regulation Overview

It became public knowledge in decades that cigarettes contain over 4000 toxins most of them cancer causing carcinogens and over 500 additives.

Tobacco control appears to have gained momentum in developed countries more than developing countries. In June 2009 the United States President Barack Obama signed the second hand smoke and third hand smoke governments have sought to ban smoking in public places.

Individuals cannot smoke in flights, at airports, in pubs, restaurants and hotels anymore in much of the world. Only in places such as China where the government is heavily involved in tobacco marketing for tax income purposes are regulations still very much laxed.

Due to these smoking controls the individual smoking space is fast becoming smaller and uncomfortable. For this reason more and more people are switching to equally harmful smokeless tobacco such as chewing tobacco and snuff.

Tobacco Advertising and Marketing Control

Tobacco regulations have also sought to control how tobacco companies come into contact with society through tobacco advertising. Various tobacco laws have been enacted in order to limit what tobacco companies can say about their product.

In South Africa for instance, the tobacco industry is prohibited from advertising. No billboards promoting smoking or selling cigarettes can be erected. Further use of cigarettes or any resemblance of smoking in even unrelated advertisements is strictly prohibited.

Most controls world wide ensure that tobacco companies may not come into contact with underage consumers for the purpose of selling tobacco products. Tobacco product packaging is also required to clearly warn of the dangers of smoking.

In many other countries tobacco company sponsorship of sport and other community related projects is also not allowed. China is often a poor example of tobacco regulation.

In 2009 a Chinese tobacco company gained permission to market its product at an elementary school in the province of Sichuan. Banners put up on the junior school after the company sponsored earthquake reconstruction read "Work hard for society! Tobacco can help you become an achiever!” This obviously infuriated the existent but weak China Tobacco Control Association.

Tobacco Product Development and Manufacturing Control

Outside of China the biggest tobacco companies are in the United States. For a long time these companies were able to manufacture or develop new products for the market without any scrutiny or control. In fact the public and governments relied on the tobacco industry's own research which more often than not painted an all clear picture.

Today tobacco regulation is firmly in government charge for tobacco industry product approval. Previously well known products such as electronic cigarettes and nicotine water were introduced onto the market without any prior medical safety checks.

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