Doctors slam "misleading" Philip Morris tobacco campaign - DutchNews.nl
Photo: Dutch NewsSee more DutchNews articles in your Google search results<br>See more DutchNews articles in your Google search results<br>Add as a favourite source on Google Add DutchNews as a favourite source on Google<br>A group of doctors and healthcare campaign groups have made a formal complaint to the Dutch advertising standards authority Reclame Code Commissie about a new Philip Morris advertising campaign.<br>They say the campaign is using an AI tool to try to influence European decision-making on tobacco and nicotine products.<br>The campaign consists of posters in Dutch shopping centres which carry a QR code. The code takes users to a website where they can click buttons to object to tougher rules, which then can be sent directly to the European Commission.
"This is orchestrated lobbying from an industry which kills or makes sick millions of people every year," Hans Snijder, director of the heart charity Hartstichting told the Volkskrant.<br>Danielle Cohen told the paper the campaign has been carefully designed to give the impression people can put forward their own, independent position on tobacco products, but "in practice, they are being steered in a certain direction".<br>"There are dozens of buttons against tougher rules and just one which allows you to show you back them," she said.
The campaigners say the campaign should be qualified as tobacco advertising, which is illegal in the Netherlands. In addition, they say, the website does not adhere properly to privacy legislation.<br>The Dutch health ministry has been urging Brussels to impose “comprehensive restrictions on flavours, maximum nicotine levels and plain packaging” on e-cigarettes and other nicotine products.<br>The Dutch also want the EU to establish a legal framework for cross-border distance sales of new tobacco products, arguing that these allow consumers to bypass national restrictions.
Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.<br>We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.<br>Make a donation
Latest<br>Show more
Milieudefensie supervisory board quits over lack of transparency
India is an important link in the designer drugs trade: FTM
The Netherlands faces a surplus of family homes: ABN Amro
Doctors slam "misleading" Philip Morris tobacco campaign
Dutch entry Eternal Rome wins sand sculpting competition
© 2026 DutchNews | Cookie settings
Help us to keep providing you with up-to-date news about this month's Dutch general election.<br>Our thanks to everyone who donates regularly to Dutch News. It costs money to produce our daily news service, our original features and daily newsletters, and we could not do it without you.<br>If you have not yet made a donation, or did so a while ago, you can do so via these links<br>The DutchNews.nl team<br>Donate now Remind me later No thanks
Dutchnews Survey<br>Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey.<br>Take part now Remind me later No thanks