Article 15, section 1, of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control says that "the elimination of all forms of illicit trade in tobacco products, including smuggling, illicit manufacturing and counterfeiting, and the development and implementation of related national law, in addition to sub-regional, regional and global agreements, are essential components of tobacco control".

We agree. We welcome additional regulation aimed at countering the spread of contraband and counterfeit goods. Contraband trade in cigarettes harms not only our local factories and our business in general, but also our partners in the distribution chain.

We're already making our own efforts to tackle the trade in contraband and counterfeit cigarettes, but we believe that strong and effective regulation is vital to success in this area. In many cases we believe that governments can and should do more.

For more on what we're doing - and what we think needs to be done by others - in the battle against cigarette contraband, please see the contraband and counterfeit pages in this section.

Email this page