The Double Standards of Tobacco Control: The Case of Mexico

In March 2021, the Mexican Parliament found itself embroiled in significant controversy when it was discovered that a draft bill proposing vaping bans had been written by Gianella Severini, an Argentine lawyer and advisor to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK), an NGO funded by Michael Bloomberg known for its anti-vaping actions. This revelation, uncovered through the metadata of the official document circulating in Parliament, seems to have sparked insufficient debate on the ethics and legitimacy of foreign influence in Mexico’s national policy-making.

Ironically, Gianella Severini Chiappe, a 32-year-old Argentine lawyer, was one of the awardees of the 2024 World No Tobacco Day Awards for the Americas. This recognition, granted by the World Health Organization (WHO), honors individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to tobacco control.

The list of this prestigious award highlights its ideological nature. It underscores the tension between the supposed international achievements in tobacco control and the lack of dialogue with all stakeholders regarding the regulation of alternative products for risk and harm reduction compared to combustible cigarettes.

Furthermore, it highlights the controversies over sovereignty and ethics in formulating national policies to prevent smoking. Many awardees, such as Vital Strategies and Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, are transnational organizations funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

These organizations mainly focus on promoting the prohibition of cigarette alternatives in low—and middle-income countries.

A Bit of Context

It is important to note that 1.1 billion people around the globe continue to smoke, a number that has remained steady over the last two decades. Meanwhile, only 120 million people have gained access to lower-risk alternatives for health.

Additionally, many of the people who smoke are in vulnerable situations. Premature deaths from smoking indicate a problem of inequality and social justice: 80% of the world’s smokers live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and in higher-income countries, smoking is concentrated in disadvantaged and marginalized populations.

In this scenario, the awardees are individuals or organizations that, based on their own convictions, create obstacles for hundreds of millions of people who cannot or do not want to stop using nicotine from accessing less risky alternatives.

An example of this problem is the funding of supposedly anti-tobacco campaigns in low- and middle-income countries by organizations like Bloomberg Philanthropies.

These initiatives have been criticized for imposing prohibitionist approaches without adequately considering local socioeconomic realities and potential harm reduction alternatives. In practice, could this strategy indirectly favor the continuation of smoking?

Civil society organizations (CSOs) usually play a fundamental role in democracies by promoting initiatives that foster development and social welfare. They serve as intermediaries between citizens, the state, and economic power.

However, their influence can be problematic when they selectively impose ideologies and agendas using resources, data, and studies to support their positions. This practice can distort the public and political perception of specific issues, such as smoking.

The unilateral and exclusionary imposition of their agendas, without seeking consensus or dialogue with other stakeholders, especially consumers and part of the local scientific community, exacerbates the situation even further. But the interference goes even further.

Recalling the Events of March 2021

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is a transnational organization with a strong presence in Latin America that has been systematically accused of inducing and manipulating governments and national civil entities to establish public policies aligned with their own ideological interests.

Experts see this practice of imposing ideas and agendas without interlocution as a power struggle that marginalizes other opinions and wills, including those of consumers, a significant part of organized civil society, and the state itself.

The case of Mexico is a clear example of this dynamic. In April 2020, Deputy Ruth Salinas Reyes proposed banning the importation, distribution, and sale of vaping products, along with other restrictive measures. In addition to the deputy, the prohibitionist initiative was supported by Deputies Arturo Escobar and Vega of PVEM, José Salvador Rosas Quintanilla of PAN, Ximena Puente de la Mora of PRI, Juan Martín Espinoza of the Citizens’ Movement Party, and especially Carmen Medel Palma of Morena.

To justify her proposal, titled “Prohibition-Regulation of Novel and Emerging Nicotine and Tobacco Products” (apparently removed from the official site of the Gaceta de Diputados but available on WayBackMachine), Carmen Medel quoted verbatim the zero-tolerance discourse of CTFK, a proposal that, it should be emphasized, only considered initiatives advocating prohibition and was developed without the knowledge or participation of Mexican society.

At that time, it was reported that Carmen Medel Palma unhesitatingly cited Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids to justify her proposal. Additionally, the deputy transcribed literally the tenets of the document “Where Bans are Best” by The Union, which urges low-middle-income countries, where, according to the WHO, 80% of the world’s combustible tobacco consumers are located, to prohibit smoking alternatives instead of regulating them.

The Scandal of the Draft Authorship

The scandal erupted when Mexican advocate Antonio Toscano revealed that the PDF document presented by the deputies showed Gianella Severini as the author. The document’s metadata, which includes additional information not directly visible in the content, such as specific identifiers for tracking its origin, indicates that it was initially created in Microsoft Word format.

Gianella Severini, legal coordinator of CTFK and linked to the Global Health Advocacy Incubator (GHAI), funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, advises on tobacco control bills and lawsuits against the tobacco industry. She also coordinates the Global Tobacco Control Alliance in Latin America and co-founded the CREA network of young Latin Americans.

Although it has had no repercussions in the institutional and legal sphere, Toscano’s discovery, first published by The Vaping Today, raised severe ethical and legal questions about foreign interference in Mexican politics.

The Mexican Constitution, in Article 33, establishes that foreigners cannot interfere in the country’s political affairs. Severini’s involvement in drafting a legislative predraft clearly contravenes this principle, representing a violation of Mexican sovereignty and legality.

Irregular Procedures Without Consequences

At the time of the scandal, Juan José Cirión Lee, a lawyer, and professor at the Faculty of Law of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), pointed out that although it is common for deputies to receive advice when drafting proposals, the real problem arose with the use of a foreign advisor for a bill that should have been the result of a consensus within the corresponding commission. This fact, combined with an irregular legislative procedure, generated controversy.

Cirión Lee has provided us with an update on the matter.

When asked if any institutional or legal measures have been taken to address this situation’s ethical and sovereignty issues, he was clear: “It had no consequence beyond the withdrawal of the predraft.”

Considering the severity of the discovery of a foreign advisor’s involvement in drafting the legislative predraft on vaping and the implications for national sovereignty, Cirión Lee expressed that he was not surprised by the lack of significant reaction from the Parliament and other Mexican institutions. “This government covers up all kinds of corrupt practices by its supporters,” he stated.

He added that although an attempt to impose a predraft was made without following proper legislative procedures, it demonstrated the interference of international NGOs at the highest levels of legislative and executive power, pointing to Dr. Medel as an operator for Dr. López Gatell.

Additionally, he mentioned other legislative coincidences, such as the food labeling cases in Chile, Argentina, and Mexico, promoted by Severini and presented as a legislative project by Medel.

When asked about the causes of inaction in this case, such as the pressure from transnational interests or the lack of adequate oversight mechanisms, Cirión Lee was blunt: “We know clearly that all the prohibitions promoted by the president were imposed by López Gatell.” He indicated that this man has been pointed out in several press articles for conflicts of interest due to his ties with Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Finally, when discussing the necessary steps to ensure transparency and integrity in public policy formulation in the future, Cirión Lee was pessimistic. “Unfortunately, with the corrupt government we currently have, which seeks to hide information from citizens at all times, we do not see a scenario that allows us to combat these national and international acts of corruption,” he concluded.

Cirión Lee’s statements about the almost forgotten case of Gianella Severini and the Mexican vaping predraft highlight the urgency for transparency and ethics in public policy formulation.

While international organizations can offer valuable expertise and support, these interventions must respect national sovereignty and foster inclusive and representative dialogue. Foreign influence should not override self-determination and genuine democratic debate, which are fundamental principles of any free and just society.

On the other hand, creating effective and fair policies requires balancing global expertise and local realities, ensuring that all relevant voices are heard and considered. This balance, which organizations such as Severini ignore, is essential to avoid the marginalization of vulnerable sectors and ensure that political decisions reflect the interests and needs of the entire society.

Are transparency, ethics, and respect for sovereignty, not indispensable pillars for building public policies that truly benefit the population and strengthen democracy?

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