With return of Big Tobacco to Myanmar, smoking rates on the rise

Since the return of Big Tobacco to Myanmar en masse in 2013, smoking rates have increased markedly. Tobacco control experts warn that the firms’ sophisticated strategies are likely to push more people into the clutches of addiction From the backseat of a traffic-stranded cab attempting to travel from Yangon’s airport to a city hotel, Myanmar’s burgeoning love affair with […]

Big tobacco eyes Myanmar market

A smoky haze greets customers walking into any of Yangon’s tea shops as patrons light up hand-rolled cigarettes known locally as cheroots. Elsewhere in Myanmar’s main city, vendors sell cheap cigarettes smuggled from China to drivers stopped at traffic lights. The pavement is painted red with the spit of people chewing tobacco wrapped in betel […]