On May 20th of last year, the EU ban on the manufacture and sale of menthol cigarettes went into effect for the Union’s 27 member countries. This regulatory move was predicated on the view that such a ban would discourage people from starting smoking or encourage existing smokers to quit—thus contributing to general public health. […]

In Part I, I discussed failures in the implementation of the Global Strategy to Accelerate Tobacco Control 2019-2025 (GS2025). As that post indicates, there are many factors contributing to shortcomings on this front. In the current piece, I focus on one where a country, Thailand, which, in my opinion, is still facing challenges in reducing […]

For decades, the US was a leader in global health. It played a key role in establishing the World Health Organization (WHO), steered the eradication of diseases like smallpox, and guided the development of innumerable standards that underpin modern health policy. Then came the Trump Presidency. Over the past four years, and particularly throughout the […]

It was an era in which we became accustomed to daily death tolls broadcast on TV; work, school, and play shifted to virtual space; and masks served as both a life-saving accessory and confounding controversy. On many fronts, the era was marked by despair, not only from the virus proper, but also from the isolation […]

Launched in September of this year, the Tobacco Transformation Index is a comprehensive evaluation of the world’s 15 largest tobacco companies. The first tool of its kind, the Index documents companies’ sales, investments, and strategies related to the transition away from combustible cigarettes and other high-risk tobacco products—with the ultimate goal of accelerating the reduction […]