As America's largest trade group, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's mission is to represent the interests of more than 3 million businesses large and small throughout the United States. Yet, a recent series by the New York Times exposed what ACS CAN has known for some time - that the Chamber has been doing the bidding of the tobacco industry by opposing lifesaving tobacco control policies in countries around the world. Now, public health groups and businesses such as CVS Health are taking a public stand against the Chamber's pro-tobacco lobbying. It's time for the U.S. Chamber to quit acting on behalf of the tobacco industry and jeopardizing the lives of millions of people around the world who are addicted to tobacco products. For years the U.S. Chamber has acted in the tobacco industry's interests by aggressively working to defeat or weaken policies that prevent and reduce tobacco use. The Times story begins with the example of Australia, which Ukraine challenged in 2012 over the country's right to enact its own antismoking laws. The head of the Chamber's Ukrainian affiliate, Taras Kachka, came to the defense of the tobacco industry, saying it was in Ukraine's best interest to support investors (i.e. tobacco companies) in the country, even though Ukraine doesn't export tobacco products to Australia. In another recent example, the U.S. Chamber, along with several other U.S. business associations, sent a letter to Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny opposing the country's proposal requiring plain packaging on cigarette packs that includes only graphic warnings and the name of the cigarette brand. The letter pointed out that similar policies were the subject of international trade disputes, suggesting a trade dispute could result if Ireland moves forward. Despite this threat from the Chamber on behalf of the tobacco industry, Ireland passed a plain packaging law to protect its citizens from the industry's most widespread marketing billboard - the cigarette pack. These are just two of many examples where the U.S. Chamber sent letters to heads of government opposing many countries' efforts to curb tobacco use. Often, the U.S. Chamber's actions have enabled the tobacco industry to continue targeting youth and adults with egregious marketing that promotes addiction and endangers millions of lives. The bottom line: Tobacco is unlike any other product in the extent of death and disease it causes, and the U.S. Chamber's pro-tobacco lobbying undermines the work of the American Cancer Society, ACS CAN and other public health groups in the U.S. and around the world to reduce tobacco use worldwide. CVS Health was the first company to publicly announce its withdrawal from the U.S. Chamber in light of the Chamber's active opposition to tobacco control policies. CVS established itself as a leading company working to protect public health when it decided in 2013 to remove all tobacco products from its shelves. Today, ACS CAN and four other leading public health groups sent a letter to the companies who sit on the Chamber's board requesting that they raise their concerns about the Chamber's tobacco work and to follow CVS' lead and walk away if the Chamber refuses to cease its pro-tobacco lobbying. In our letter, we poignantly note that "not only is tobacco different as a product, the tobacco industry's behavior does not represent the values one expects from American business." The global fight against the tobacco epidemic is at a critical stage. There are now more than 1 billion tobacco smokers in the world. Tobacco, one of the leading risk factors for non-communicable diseases, including cancer, will kill an estimated 1 billion people this century if we don't continue to make significant progress in helping people to quit or never start using tobacco. The devastating health and economic toll of tobacco is clear, yet the tobacco industry and its allies continue to commit unprecedented resources to obstruct global efforts to save lives from tobacco. The American people and U.S. businesses cannot afford for one of those allies to be the largest representative of all U.S. business. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce needs to maintain its integrity on behalf of all U.S. business interests - the Chamber's tobacco advocacy doesn't meet that standard.
Today’s blog is one of a series of posts highlighting how ACS CAN is examining, prioritizing and pursuing policy interventions that ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to prevent, find, treat and survive cancer. Achieving health equity in communities nationwide is a cornerstone of our mission.