BAT Accused of Lobbying Zambia to Weaken Tobacco Regulations

According to a letter seen by the Guardian, British American Tobacco (BAT) has been lobbying Zambian ministers to weaken the country's proposed tobacco control legislation. The letter, sent from BAT's Zambian subsidiary, asks the government to abandon or delay plans to ban tobacco advertising and sponsorship, reduce the size of graphic health warnings on cigarette packaging, remove restrictions on flavored tobacco products, and water down penalties for firms breaking the new laws.

This lobbying effort has been met with strong criticism, with a Zambian anti-tobacco campaigner accusing BAT of "utter hypocrisy" for trying to undermine measures that are already in place in the UK, where the company is headquartered. The WHO estimates that over 7,000 Zambians die from tobacco-related illnesses each year, and the campaigner warns that BAT's proposed changes would "weaken this legislation so much that the impact needed for it to cause long-term change in society will not be achieved."

The tobacco control bill currently before Zambia's parliament goes further than UK legislation by also applying to e-cigarettes and mandating that graphic health warnings cover 75% of product packaging. BAT is pushing for these requirements to be significantly reduced or delayed, a move that the campaigner says would prioritize the company's profits over the health and lives of the Zambian people.