Big Tobacco

Overview

According to the World Medical Journal, the five largest tobacco companies are:

• Philip Morris International, based in the United States and Switzerland
• British American Tobacco, based in the United Kingdom
• Japan Tobacco International, based in Switzerland
• Imperial Brands, based in the United Kingdom
• China Tobacco, based in China

Altria, which only operates in the United States, is also among the largest tobacco corporations worldwide.

These companies have substantial power economically, with revenues matching some small countries. These companies are well known for lobbying governments, advocating for looser restrictions and lower taxes.

These companies have garnered significant controversy for the product they produce and the tactics with which they sell and market them. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States. Despite a general decrease in cigarette use in the United States, there has been no change in the use of smokeless tobacco, which can also cause cancer.

Some of the tactics utilized by these companies have been noted to be similar to that of other industries such as the oil, sugar, and cell phone industries.

These companies are controversial due to the negative health effects of the products they produce, and attempts to misinform on this topic. In the United States, the big five tobacco companies have worked together to conceal scientific evidence on the negative effects of tobacco. There is also a history of manipulating and destroying evidence.

The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was designed by the World Health Assembly as an international legal approach to reducing the effect of tobacco on public health. However, its implementation has also been interfered with by these tobacco companies. Tobacco companies have also been known to foster relations with governments and communities to maintain loose regulations on tobacco products.

References

References

1. Oremus, Will. (November 17, 2017). "Big Tobacco. Big Pharma. Big Tech?".
2. "Top 25 largest Tobacco Companies in the World 2025".
3. (January 2020). "The FCTC and Tobacco Industry". World Medical Journal.
4. (7 October 2016). "State-Specific Prevalence of Current Cigarette Smoking and Smokeless Tobacco Use Among Adults – United States, 2014". Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
5. (October 2020). "Remembering to Forget: The Historic Irresponsibility of U.S. Big Tobacco". Journal of Business Ethics.
6. "Propaganda Crusades by Philip Morris International & Altria: “Smoke-Free Future” & “Moving Beyond Smoke” Campaigns - Exposing the Hypocrisy of the Claim: “A Tobacco Company That Actually Cares About Health”". Robert K. Jackler, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford Research into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising (SRITA), 2022.
7. (October 2020). "Remembering to Forget: The Historic Irresponsibility of U.S. Big Tobacco". Journal of Business Ethics.
8. (January 2020). "The FCTC and Tobacco Industry". World Medical Journal.