Alleged Violations of Tobacco Control and Other Laws

Tobacco companies aggressively block, weaken, and undermine policies designed to protect public health and reduce tobacco use, and at times they have been found to work outside of countries’ laws. In multiple instances tobacco companies have been found to have violated the law.

In Myanmar, Japan Tobacco International allegedly took advantage of tobacco control regulations in aggressive marketing campaigns that included traditional advertising and sponsorship of sports, music and cultural events and reportedly distributed free cigarettes at major religious festivals a practice that is outlawed.