Spanish
The Dominican Anti-Tobacco Alliance (ADAT) presented the results corresponding to the Dominican Republic of the Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2025.
The methodology followed in the research was presented by Juandy Gómez, a member of the entity. "The team sought information on the websites of nationally circulated newspapers and on the portals and websites of state organizations, the Dominican Association of Cigar Manufacturers (PROCIGAR), and its member industries." A search for information was established from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2025," he explained.
The information for this report was collected from 20 questions, divided into seven categories, from publicly available sources. Scores range from 0 to 5. The lower the score, the less industry interference in public policies. The overall score ranged from 0 to 100.
The study results were presented by Dr. Samuel Ramos, coordinator of the ADAT, grouped into the seven categories investigated:
1. Government agencies have actively collaborated with the tobacco industry (TI) through agreements, events, and institutional support, reinforcing its influence on public policies.
2. The Dominican government openly supports IT initiatives. Authorities also participated in industry events. These actions reflect significant collaboration with IT, contravening the guidelines of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
3. The government offers direct incentives to IT. Special tax policies favor heated tobacco products and exempt electronic cigarettes.
4. The government maintains a close relationship with the IT through its constant participation in inaugurations, harvest launches, fairs, and promotional events, thus legitimizing the sector and contradicting the CMCT guidelines.
5. The government lacks transparency in its interactions with IT. There are no public records of meetings or rules requiring the disclosure of the identity of industry representatives or lobbyists.
6. The government does not restrict the political financing of IT. Current authorities publicly promote the sector, reinforcing its privileged status and its alignment with state institutions, in contradiction with the principles of the FCTC.
7. The government lacks specific regulations to control interactions with IT. IT executives meet freely with high-level authorities, while the government actively promotes the sector.
In conclusion, the Dominican Republic ranked 100th out of 100 participating countries, obtaining the highest score in tobacco industry interference in public policies, 98/100 points, 18 points above the second highest score in Latin America. This score demonstrates that there are major challenges in preventing tobacco industry interference in public policies.
The researchers end up recommending the following:
1. Prohibit IT from participating in the formulation of public health policies.
2. Implement clear protocols that limit, to the strictly necessary, interactions between public officials and IT.
3. Establish clear safeguards to prevent undue influence of IT on public officials and policy-making.
4. Develop a national strategy for adherence to the WHO FCTC. In the meantime, adopt and implement a national action plan aligned with Article 5.3 of the FCTC to protect public health policies from the interference of the tobacco industry.
The press conference was held in the Past Presidents' Hall of the Dominican Medical College, in Santo Domingo.
The ADAT is a coalition of more than 40 institutions that have joined forces to actively contribute to the reduction of tobacco consumption in the Dominican Republic and to include tobacco control in the agenda of the institutions that govern or collaborate with the health of Dominicans.
