Consumer Choice Center

The Consumer Choice Center (CCC) is a US lobby organisation based in Washington DC, operating since 2017.¹ CCC has received funding from transnational tobacco companies and has lobbied against the regulation of tobacco products in the EU and elsewhere. It has focused on key areas of interest to the tobacco industry: plain packaging, tax and illicit trade, menthol bans, and the tobacco endgame. See the relevant sections below for more information.

CCC lobbies and campaigns against restrictions on newer nicotine and tobacco products, via multiple linked organisations (see Image 1). These include two it set up and trademarked: the World Vapers Alliance and Considerate Pouchers. It also pays  consultancies, including Three Six One which runs the EU based campaigning organisation Clearing the Air. CCC has also paid substantial fees to UK-based consultant, Mark Oates, the director of We Vape, and the Snus and Nicotine Pouch Users Alliance. All these organisations state that they are independent and represent consumers. See below for more details on these organisations.

• See Third Party Techniques and Astroturfing for more on these well-known tobacco industry tactic

CCC is also associated with the Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA), the Adam Smith Institute (ASI), EPICENTER and Forest EU. See Other Affiliations below.

Background

CCC was set up in February 2017,² and held launch events in Brussels, Belgium and Ottawa, Canada.³⁴ CCC was approved for tax exempt status in the US in 2019, on the basis of it being a non-profit “social welfare organisation”.⁵⁶

CCC has stated that it lobbies against “paternalistic” government regulations,² including “food and agriculture policies, fat/sugar tax, soda tax, food labelling, health care and harm reduction, trade initiatives (TTIP/TTP), transportation and aviation regulations”.⁷ It has described itself as a “consumer advocacy group” and a “grassroots movement”,⁸⁹ which “champions the benefits of freedom of choice, innovation, and abundance in everyday life.”⁴

Its website states that it “works currently with tens of thousands of consumers and partner organizations in North America, Europe, South America, South Africa, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and many more”,⁴ and that it engages with policymakers and regulators “in order to warn how respective regulations can harm the choice of consumers.”⁴

Set up by Students For Liberty

CCC’s parent organisation is Students For Liberty (SFL),¹⁰¹¹ an American libertarian organisation linked to billionaires Charles and David Koch.¹² It is also a partner of the Atlas Network,¹³ which has been described as a “strategic ally” of the tobacco industry.¹⁴ SFL receives funding from the Atlas Economic Research Foundation.¹⁵¹⁶

CCC was listed as a partner of the Atlas Network in its 2018 Annual Report.¹⁷

In 2017, SFL launched CCC with a budget of US$210,296.¹⁸ CCC has described itself as “totally open” to corporate donations.¹⁹

According to CCC’s 2021 tax return it paid over US$170,000 to Students for Liberty for “operations”.²⁰²¹

• See also Other Affiliations below.

Income and funding

CCC states that it is supported by “corporations, individuals and foundations” but does not disclose its donors.²²

On the EU Transparency register, CCC declared total income of close to EU€7.8 million in its first two years of operation, in the form of donations from unspecified sources.²³²⁴²⁵ (CCC was later removed from the register, see below)

CCC was approved for tax exempt status in the US in December 2019.⁵²⁶ Its 2020 tax return (filed in November 2021) indicates that it received contributions and grants totalling just over US$1 million.²⁷ In 2021 this figure rose to US$4.4 million,²⁰²¹ with US$4.2 million recorded for 2022 (figures rounded).²⁰²⁸ It increased again to US$6.1 million in 2023 ,²⁹ and US$6.3 million in 2024,³⁰ then fell to US$5.6 million in 2025.³¹ However, there is no detail on the sources of CCC’s funding in the tax returns.

Lack of Transparency

CCC does not publish a list of its members. On its website it has referred to corporate “supporters” and “partners”.⁴³² It previously stated that it received financial support from the fast moving consumer goods industry (FMCG, which includes tobacco), as well as the energy, manufacturing, digital, healthcare, cryptocurrency and fin-tech industries.³³ In 2024, the list also included nicotine, alcohol, airlines, agriculture, chemicals, and banking.⁴ It has received funding from the Atlas Network,³⁴ the Geneva Network,⁹³⁵ and directly from transnational tobacco companies (see below).⁹³⁶

CCC’s website FAQs #relationship-tobacco-industrystate “we strictly maintain[s] editorial independence and do not give our funders any influence on editorial decisions.”^{22 32} Its code of ethics previously stated that its “campaigns, op-eds, and videos are not sent to supporters before they are released. Partners see our content and outputs at the same time as the general public.”⁹ As of August 2026, its code of ethics did not appear to be available on the website.

Removed from EU Register (2022)

CCC was removed from the EU Transparency Register in 2022.³⁷

New EU lobbying rules were introduced in May 2021, requiring greater transparency including declaring sources of funding.³⁸³⁹ According to DeSmog, an organisation that monitors lobbying on climate, CCC was removed from the EU register in May 2022, following complaints and “a quality check by the secretariat aimed at detecting potential inaccuracies, errors or omissions in the register”.³⁷⁴⁰⁴¹ CCC had not updated its funding sources since April 2021.⁴²

In August 2023, Corporate Europe Observatory reported that the lobby register secretariat had invited CCC to “provide an explanation and submit a new application to register such activities, where relevant, in the Transparency Register in a comprehensive and transparent manner.”⁴³

WVA was also suspended from the register in 2024,⁴⁴⁴⁵and removed from the register in late 2025.

Registered in Germany (2026)

CCC was registered on the German lobbying register in April 2026.⁴⁶ Its register entry only reports its total funding, linking to its US tax return.⁴⁶ It lists as one of its regulatory projects “Nicotine/tobacco/vaping: consumer freedom instead of the black market” [translated],and states that it is “committed to a coherent, proportionate and innovation-friendly regulatory environment for classic tobacco products, e-cigarettes and novel nicotine products.”⁴⁶ In 2025 CCC paid fees to two German consultancies, one promoting BAT’s products (see below), and in 2026 it employed an ex-German MP as a director (see People).

Relationship with the Tobacco Industry

CCC has received funding from three of the ‘Big Four’ transnational tobacco companies, plus US based Altria:

JTI

Japan Tobacco International (JTI) co-funded CCC’s 2017 launch event.³⁴⁷ and was a member at the time.⁹⁴⁸ CCC Managing Director Frederik Roeder contributed to “Regulating Consumers?”, a Euractiv Special Report sponsored by JTI for EU€10,000.⁴⁹⁵⁰ In 2018, JTI declined to disclose what this membership entailed and how much financial support was linked to it.⁵¹

From February 2025, JTI stated on its EU Transparency Register entry that “While not a member, JT International supports the Consumer Choice Center”.⁵²

BAT

CCC has received funding from British American Tobacco (BAT), in support of CCC’s “tobacco harm reduction advocacy”.⁹³⁴ From early 2023, this was no longer stated on the CCC website.⁵³ From February 2025, BAT stated on its EU Transparency register entry that, while not a member, it “supports the Consumer Choice Center”.⁵⁴⁵⁵

See below for CCC’s activities and outputs relating to e-cigarettes and other newer products, and harm reduction.

• For more on BAT’s commercial interests in this area see Newer Nicotine and Tobacco Products: British American Tobacco.

PMI

In 2018, CCC stated that it had received funding from Philip Morris International (PMI).³

Altria

Altria has donated an unspecified amount of money to CCC regularly since 2018.^{56575859606162}

People

CCC’s Managing Director is Frederik Roeder.^6364656667 Prior to working for CCC, Roeder worked for SFL where he co-founded their European Branch.³⁴ Roeder is also President of Consumer Choice Center Europe (CCC EU, see below),⁶⁸⁶⁹ CCC’s tax returns show that in 2020, CCC paid US$100,000 to Roeder’s Estonia-registered company Healthcare Solutions OU for consulting.²⁰²⁷⁷⁰

Other key staff and board members:

• Yaël Ossowski, Deputy Director⁶⁷
• Bill Wirtz, Senior Policy Analyst⁶⁷
• Jeff Stier, Senior Fellow⁶⁷⁷¹⁷²
• David Clement, Policy Director.⁶⁷ Listed as North American Affairs Manager in 2024.⁶⁵ CCC’s 2024 tax return also listed Clement as an “independent contractor” paid US$120,000 for consultancy.³⁰
• Jens Teutrine, Director for Germany, Austria and Switzerland.⁶⁷⁷³ Teurtrine was previously a member of the German Parliament.
• Egle Markeviciute, Head of Digital & Innovation Policy⁶⁷⁷⁴ Secretary of CCC EU,⁶⁸ in charge of EU relations.⁶⁹
• Urmas Jaerve, Vice President of CCC⁶²⁰Director of CCC EU.⁶⁸ Management Board Member of Healthcare Solutions OU.⁷⁰
• Chad Swarthout, Secretary of CCC⁶²⁰ Treasurer of CCC EU.⁶⁸
• Egle Markeviciute, Head of Digital & Innovation Policy⁷⁵ Secretary of CCC EU,⁶⁸ in charge of EU relations.⁶⁹
• Urmas Jaerve, Vice President of CCC⁶ Director of CCC EU.⁶⁸ Management Board Member of Healthcare Solutions OU.⁷⁰
• Chad Swarthout, Secretary of CCC⁶ Treasurer of CCC EU.⁶⁸

Previous staff:

• Adam Cleave, Senior Adviser (previously worked for Imperial Tobacco, now Imperial Brands)⁷⁶⁷⁷
• Luca Bertoletti, European Affairs Manager⁶⁴⁷⁸
• Maria Chaplia, Research Manager²⁴

Many CCC staff have previously held, or currently hold, roles within SFL.⁶⁶⁷⁹

Roeder, Bertoletti and Chaplia were previously registered EU lobbyists for CCC in 2017/18.²⁴ Bertolleti is also a co-founder and Government Affairs Director of a public relations company called B&K Agency.⁸⁰⁸¹

CCC lists advisors and fellows on its website: ‘country associates’ (as of 2025, in UK and India), and policy fellows (in Latin America, South Africa, Nigeria, Taiwan, Indonesia and Switzerland)⁶⁶⁶⁷ Maxwell Marlow, Director of Public Affairs at the UK-based Adam Smith Institute (ASI),⁸² has been listed as a Fellow on the CCC website.⁶⁶

Connections with Governments

Peter Liese, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), has participated in activities of the World Vapers’ Alliance, which was set up by CCC (see below).³⁴⁸³⁸⁴

In 2022, CCC’s website stated that it was the ‘secretariat’ for a cross party group in the EU Parliament called “Innovation, Brands, and IP – The future of Europe group”, also referred to as “MEPS4Innovation”.⁸³⁸⁵ Claiming over 30 members “representing most EU states”, its work areas were listed as: “Digital; Healthcare; Agriculture; Harm Reduction; Consumer Goods” (all of potential interest to tobacco companies).⁸⁵ Despite the use of the EU Parliament logo on its webpage, this group was not on the list of parliamentary intergroups and appeared to have no official role.⁸³⁸⁶ After 2023 the CCC’s related web page was no longer available.⁸⁷

In January 2022, UK Conservative peer Lord Wharton joined CCC as a Strategic Adviser.⁶⁴⁸⁸ James Wharton was previously an adviser to Boris Johnson, became a member of the UK House of Lords in September 2020, and from April 2021 to July 2024 was Chair of the Office for Students (OfS).⁸⁹⁹⁰⁹¹ Wharton listed CCC as one of his Directorships on the UK Government register of interests until February 2023.⁹² He also listed his Directorship of GBMW Ltd, a company providing strategic and management advice.⁹² According to the OfS registers of interests in 2022 and 2023, the Consumer Choice Center was a client of GBMW.⁹³⁹⁴ Lord Wharton is no longer listed as an advisor on the CCC website.⁶⁵

Alexander Kvitashvili also joined CCC as Public Health Advisor in January 2022. An independent consultant to the World Health Organization, Kvitashvili was Minister of Healthcare of Ukraine (to 2016), and prior to that Minister of Health of Georgia.⁶⁴⁶⁵⁸⁸

Lobbying for Newer Nicotine and Tobacco Products

Research with Twitter data by Bath TCRG highlighted the nature of CCC’s activity around meeting of the 8th Conference of the Parties (COP 8), and those of other tobacco industry allies.⁹⁵

The researchers concluded that this was:

“highly consistent with PMI’s 2014 corporate affairs strategy, which described engaging tobacco harm reduction advocates to ‘amplify and leverage the debate on harm reduction’ around events such as the COP.”⁹⁵

In January, Ossowski wrote an article for CCC’s website, blaming “the public health lobby” for a rise in smoking rates.⁹⁶ David Clement, CCC’s North American Affairs Manager, wrote an op-ed in the Financial Post in June 2022 that argued “heavy-handed vaping regulations and taxation do nothing but create more smokers”.⁶⁴⁹⁷

2018: Criticises WHO & FCTC at COP 8

In September 2018, in the run up to the meeting of the 8th Conference of the Parties (COP 8) of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC), CCC scheduled three roundtables to discuss “WHO’s shortcomings in working towards better global public health and how the WHO actively blocks healthier technologies in the area of harm reduction”.^9899100

In London and Brussels, policy analyst Bill Wirtz’s talk was titled: “Too busy with the wrong Priorities: Does the WHO suffer from Mission Creep?”, and managing director Fred Roeder’s: “Foreign Aid for Public Health and Clandestine Maneuvering: Insights from the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control”.⁹⁸⁹⁹ Lobbyist Luca Bertolleti spoke in Rome. ¹⁰⁰None of the invited speakers had public health qualifications. They included Christopher Snowdon, from the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) and Daniel Pryor, from the Adam Smith Institute.⁹⁸

During the meeting of the 8^th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the WHO FCTC in October 2018, the CCC organised the “Nicotine is Not Your Enemy Soirée”. The event advertisement criticised the WHO for “condemning nicotine” and refusing to “support harm reduction”.¹⁰¹ Professor Bernd Mayer, who later joined the advisory board of the World Vapers’ Alliance (see below) spoke at the event, which also included “live demonstrations of harm-reducing technologies.”^101102103

CCC Director Roeder and Co-Director Ossowski registered as journalists at COP 8, citing their contributions to libertarian news sites, which gave them access to the event’s sessions. However, their press badges were later suspended for “misrepresentation.”³⁴¹⁰³

This lobbying continued after COP 8 when CCC received funding from BAT.

2020: Sets up ‘World Vapers’ Alliance’

In 2020, CCC set up the World Vapers’ Alliance (WVA), which lobbies for the promotion of e-cigarettes and against their regulation.^1041105106 WVA was initially presented as an independent partner organisation of CCC.¹¹⁰⁷ WVA later acknowledged it had been established by CCC.¹⁰⁵

WVA also received direct support from BAT since 2020, and the company was closely involved in its campaigns.¹⁰⁴ Red Flag Consulting, a lobbying company which had both BAT and CCC as clients, maintained the WVA website.

CCC’s 2021 tax return shows that it paid Red Flag over US$2.2 million for “strategic communications”.²¹²⁰ CCC paid further sums in 2022 to Red Flag and WVA Director Michael Landl,^2820108 (Landl received further sums in 2023, 2024 and 2025. See World Vapers Alliance for details.) CCC also contracted a Barcelona-based events company which lists WVA as a client.²⁸¹⁰⁹

In June 2020, CCC called for the “liberalisation of vaping”,¹¹⁰ argued that the US State of Georgia’s proposed tax on e-cigarettes would “harm poor consumers”,¹¹¹ and lobbied politicians in Alaska to reject a proposed e-cigarette tax.¹¹²

In September, CCC published a report called “Why Vape Flavors Matter”, co-written with the WVA, which argued against proposals to ban e-cigarette flavours in the US and EU,¹¹³ and lobbied against proposed state-level flavour bans.^114115116 In October, CCC/WVA published a report called “Vaping and the Gateway Myth.¹¹⁷¹¹⁸ Neither report stated that CCC receives tobacco industry funding.

2021: COP 9 and the WVA

In February 2021, CCC submitted evidence to the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group for Vaping’s COP 9 inquiry. The submission said the UK should object to the FCTC’s e-cigarette treaty proposals and instead “champion… harm-reducing technologies such as vaping,” adding: “with the United Kingdom’s influence, the FCTC could once more achieve its purpose of reducing tobacco consumption around the world.”¹¹⁹

In October, a month before COP 9, CCC co-signed a letter “calling on the Biden administration’s WHO delegation to recognise the value of tobacco harm reduction.” The letter said the WHO pursued “quit or die” policies that “keep people using cigarettes.”¹²⁰

Investigations by Le Monde and The Investigative Desk showed that WVA was actively lobbying against the regulation of e-cigarettes before and during COP 9 in November 2021.³⁴ Videos on the WVA YouTube channel depicted the organisation’s activities, including its “Back Vaping Beat Smoking” branded campaign van and its presence in Geneva (although COP was held virtually due to the Covid-19 pandemic).¹²¹

2023: COP 10 and the WVA

WVA was again active in the 2023 run-up to COP 10, and during the event which took place in February 2024. It criticised the “exclusion of consumers from the decision-making process”.¹²²¹²³

• See World Vapers’ Alliance: COP 10 for more details

2023: Sets up Considerate Pouchers

Considerate Pouchers describes itself as an “independent platform” representing consumers of snus and nicotine pouches,¹²⁴ and as “a consumer advocacy group set up by pouchers for pouchers”.¹²⁵ However it was set up by CCC,^1124126127 which applied for a trademark for this brand in January 2025.¹²⁸

Considerate Pouchers states that “We educate society and policymakers about the role of pouches in a comprehensive approach to ending smoking”.¹²⁴ In effect it campaigns against the regulation and taxation of nicotine pouches.^129130131 Although it appears to conduct lobbying activities in the EU, it is not registered on the EU transparency register. It also lobbies in the UK – see Lobbying Against UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill below.

The Considerate Pouchers website states that it is supported by the Snus and Nicotine Pouch Users Alliance (SNPUA) and The Daily Pouch.¹²⁴ The Director of Considerate Pouchers UK, Richard Crosby, is also Editor of the Daily Pouch.¹³² The website also lists directors in Sweden and Germany.¹²⁴

Advisors listed on the website include Mark Oates (see We Vape and SNPUA below) and Dr. Anders Milton (see Quit Like Sweden). Milton was added to the website in the latter part of 2025.¹³³ As of February 2026 the ‘consumer advocacy’ section of the website contained no content.¹³⁴

2023-2024: Pays director of We Vape and SNPUA

In 2023, CCC paid Oates Consulting Ltd US$300,000,²⁹ and a further US$522,000 in 2024.³⁰ Mark Oates is the sole director of Oates Consulting, which was registered as a company in the UK in 2018.¹³⁵ He is a fellow of the Adam Smith Institute.¹³⁶

Oates is also sole director of the UK-based lobbying and campaigning organisations We Vape and the Snus & Nicotine Pouch Users Alliance (SNPUA). Both were set up in 2020 and are registered as limited companies in the UK. ^137138139140 UK Companies House states that both We Vape and SNPUA conduct “Activities of political organisations”.¹³⁷¹³⁹

SNPUA also supports the CCC platform Considerate Pouchers.¹²⁴

• See We Vape for more details on Oates, We Vape and SNPUA, including lobbying around the UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill – see below for CCC’s related activities.

2024: Finances ‘Clearing the Air’

Launched in February 2024, this website has an EU domain name (clearingtheair.eu) and states that it “receives support from the Consumer Choice Center”.¹⁴¹¹⁴²

The Clearing the Air website states that it is not a campaigning organisation itself but aims to be a “supportive network” for campaigning organisations advocating for harm reduction and consumer choice.¹⁴² According to its website, it provides campaigning tools, advocacy material and information on European legislation to help its members influence public policy.¹⁴¹ The members’ area contains resources on e-cigarettes, focusing on ‘disposable’ products, and the ‘Swedish Snus Example’ (see Snus and The Swedish Experience).¹⁴³

The website states that Clearing the Air is operated by the public affairs and communication consultancy Three Six One.¹⁴⁴¹⁴⁵ Three Six One runs an EU parliament candidate database on the Clearing the Air website, providing contact information for politicians and candidates across Europe.^146147148 Peter Beckett, one of the founders of Three Six One, was previously the director of public policy for JUUL Labs.¹⁴⁹¹⁵⁰

CCC’s tax returns shows that it paid Three Six One nearly US$280,000 in 2024, and nearly US$300,000 in 2025, for “production”.³⁰³¹ However, CCC was not listed as a Three Six One client on the EU Transparency Register.¹⁵¹¹⁵²

A range of articles on harm reduction, newer products and regulations around the world are published on the Clearing the Air website although authorship and primary sources are unclear. Multiple infographics tailored for individual countries state that “the European Commission consulted [country] citizens and academics to find out what they thought about tobacco harm reduction” and that there were 15,000 citizen responses.¹⁵³ It is unclear what consultation this refers to as there is no link or citation. (The EU conducted a consultation relating to tobacco control regulation in 2023, with a similar number of citizen responses, but it was not specific to harm reduction.)¹⁵⁴

Clearing the Air has also published articles attacking European cancer and tobacco control advocacy organisations,¹⁵⁵¹⁵⁶ and WHO employees working in tobacco control. (This article quoted Oates, but did not mention payments to Oates Consulting from CCC.)¹⁵⁷

There is no information available on the website about the authors of these and other articles, given as Alastair Cohen, Tim Hong and Ali Anderson.

2024: Targets EU ‘Consumer Champs’

Around the same time that Clearing the Air was set up, CCC also started targeting the elections for the EU Parliament, sending out a survey to prospective MEPs as part of its “Consumer Champs” initiative.¹⁵⁸¹⁵⁹

The Consumer Champs website stated that its mission was to:¹⁶⁰

“spotlight the values and stances of parties and individual politicians at the European level. Will they uphold bureaucratic norms with a centralized approach, or will they champion change by prioritizing consumer rights and choice, limiting the overreach of centralized institutions”

The site does not appear to contain any reference to funding for this initiative.¹⁶⁰ One question in the survey suggested the promotion of “new harm reduction technologies, such as vaping, heated tobacco devices and nicotine pouches” in order to “achieve the goals of the EU Cancer Action Plan”.¹⁶¹ A positive response to this question resulted in a higher score and ranking on the website.

(Note that the New Zealand Taxpayers Union, a lobby group which has received funding from BAT, ran a campaign called “Clear the Air” in New Zealand in 2023 – for details see Interference around COP 10 & MOP 3).

2024: Campaigns to ‘Leave Pouches Alone’ in Canada

In early 2024, as the Canadian government began discussing the regulation of nicotine pouches, in which all the major transnational tobacco companies have interests, CCC began lobbying. It set up a “Leave Pouches Alone” campaign, stating on its website that this “could include bans on flavours, restrictions on where pouches are sold, and possibly a ban”. It encouraged people to sign a petition and e-mail Health Canada (the Canadian Ministry of Health).¹⁶²¹⁶³

2025: Paid German consultancy working for BAT

According to its US tax return, in 2025 CCC paid German consultancy Brandpusher & Storyteller nearly US$400,000 for “production”.³¹¹⁶⁴ The consultancy  worked for BAT, on launches and promotions relating to its products, specifically Vuse e-cigarettes, and glo heated tobacco products.¹⁶⁵¹⁶⁶

2025: Paid Germany-US based PR Consultancy

CCC also paid another German company, Nawrocki PR & Communication just over US$150,000 in 2025, for consultancy.³¹¹⁶⁷ The managing director, Christian Nawrocki, runs a production company called Solid Rock TV, and the companies share offices in Germany and Washington DC.¹⁶⁸¹⁶⁹ Solid Rock published a YouTube video in July 2024, which featured WVA director Michael Landl and a German MP discussing the use of e-cigarettes to quit smoking.¹⁷⁰ Another video interviewed an  academic and a different MP, discussing e-cigarette flavours.¹⁷¹ Both videos were also published in an advertising feature in the Berlin newspaper Tagesspiegel.¹⁷²

Nawrocki/Solid Rock TV is also the publisher of a Washington-based media platform called The Transatlantic Ledger,¹⁷³¹⁷⁴ which was set up in 2026.¹⁷⁵ Solid Rock TV is also listed as a partner,¹⁷⁶

Lobbying Against UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill

CCC has lobbied against proposed generational ‘endgame’ policies in the UK, from when the government first proposed the new UK Tobacco and Vapes Bill in 2023.

From 2023-24, it ran a campaign called “No2Prohibition”, which included media outreach and engagement with policymakers.¹⁷⁷ It argued that “prohibitive” measures infringe on consumer rights and personal freedoms; lead to an increase in illicit trade;  set a “dangerous precedent for future regulations (“What’s next? Alcohol? Sugar? Fat? We can only imagine”); and “stop legal adults from buying cigarettes, Shisha tobacco, or even the less harmful Heat-Not-Burn products”.¹⁷⁷ Advertisements on Facebook, Messenger and Instagram between November 2023 and April 2024 all seemingly ran without the disclaimers required by Meta for political advertising.^{178179180181182183184185}  The No2Prohibition website, was periodically updated, untilthe announcement of a General Election on 22 May. It continues to state “Our government is creating a black market takeover! Defend your right not to fund criminal activities as a consumer”.¹⁷⁷

CCC submitted to the 2025 call for evidence, in which it criticised the government for “restricting […] nicotine alternatives, such as heat not burn products”, saying this would expand the illicit market.¹⁸⁶ It also claimed that the bill could conflict with EU rules under the Windsor Framework.¹⁸⁶

In February 2026, Mike Salem, CCC’s “UK Country Associate”, argued that the proposed generational ban, and restrictions on e-cigarette flavours, displays, packaging, and promotion of nicotine products, would create enforcement burdens on local councils.¹⁸⁷ Salem was previously listed on the CCC website as its “UK representative”, monitoring UK policy developments and connecting with policy makers.¹⁸⁸¹⁸⁹ As of August 2026, he no longer appears to be in this role.¹⁹⁰

WVA and Considerate Pouchers have also campaigned against the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, and in favour of e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, using similar arguments.^191192193

Image 2: “Considerate Pouchers host drinks and mini-golf”.(Source: Considerate Pouchers website, 2023)¹⁹⁴In October 2023 WVA, We Vape, SNPUA, and Considerate Pouchers campaigned together during the UK Conservative Party Conference (see image 2).¹⁹⁵¹⁹⁶ In 2026, We Vape had a ‘Convenience Store’ style stall at the Reform party conference. The conference was sponsored by BAT,¹⁹⁷ See We Vape for details.

Clearing the Air has also criticised the Bill and urged its readers to submit views and evidence.¹⁹⁸

Lobbying Against US Menthol Ban

In May 2022, Ossowski took part in a virtual seminar, titled “The Devastating Impact of the FDA’s Proposed Menthol & Flavored Cigar Ban”, convened by the Americans for Tax Reform (ATR, see Think Tanks).¹⁹⁹ All but one of the panellists represented organisations which have accepted tobacco industry funding:

• Tim Andrews represented ATR, which has accepted money from RJ Reynolds (a subsidiary of BAT), Altria, JTI and BAT.^565759200
• Guy Bentley represented The Reason Foundation, which has accepted money from Altria and is an Atlas Network partner.^{1356575859200}
• Major Neill Franklin represented the Law Enforcement Action Partnership, which in 2019 received more than a third of its funding from Reynolds American.²⁰¹ It has also accepted money from Altria.^56575859
• Lindsey Stroud represented the Taxpayers Protection Alliance (TPA), which does not reveal its funding sources. TPA is an Atlas Network partner.³⁴ Stroud worked for the Heritage Foundation from 2016 to 2020, which has received funding from Altria.²⁰⁰²⁰²

In June 2022 CCC hosted a session called “the Menthol Melee” which was chaired by Ossowski.²⁰³ The session included contributions from former law enforcement officers and Michael Landl (Director of the World Vapers’ Alliance), Jeff Stier (Senior Fellow at CCC and Taxpayers Protection Alliance) and Dr Pritika Kumar (Senior Fellow at R Street Institute).

The speakers argued banning menthol cigarettes would incentivise the illicit tobacco trade and bring police departments into further conflict with Black communities. The latter of these arguments is the same used by RJ Reynolds consultants.²⁰¹

• See also the long read on Racism and the Tobacco Industry

Lobbying on Illicit Trade

CCC also lobbies on illicit trade, including the illicit trade of tobacco products.²⁰⁴ In a July 2020 EU policy paper, “Illicit Trade is Dangerous for Consumers”, CCC argued that to prevent the illicit trade of tobacco products, plain packaging should be rejected, taxes should be limited and there should be no further restrictions on their marketing and advertisement.²⁰⁵

In November 2021, around the time of the second meeting of the Members of the Parties (MOP 2) to the Protocol to Eliminate Illicit Trade in Tobacco Products, CCC organised a webinar on the topic.²⁰⁶²⁰⁷ This was introduced in a pre-recorded statement by the Irish MEP Sean Kelly.²⁰⁶

CCC submitted a response to the EU consultation on tobacco taxation in 2021, citing the risk of illicit trade.²⁰⁸ Its submission stated that:

“Smoking should be seen as a matter of consumer choice and personal responsibility. Tobacco products should not see any further scrutiny”.²⁰⁸

Citing concern over illicit trade is a well-documented industry argument against taxation.

Lobbying Against Plain Packaging

In 2018, CCC made a submission to a public consultation on the introduction of plain (standardised) packaging in Singapore, citing consumer choice arguments and arguing that it would lead to an increase in illicit trade.²⁰⁹ Roeder authored a media article on ‘brand freedom’, citing ‘slippery slope’ arguments relating to other products like sugar and alcohol.²¹⁰

CCC called on EU policymakers to reject plain packing in a July 2020 policy paper, arguing that it “increased the presence of illicit tobacco in all the countries which implemented it.”²⁰⁴

In March 2021, CCC made a submission to the UK Government’s consultation on the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 and the Standardised Packaging of Tobacco Products Regulations 2015. CCC argued “tobacco products should not see any further scrutiny”, that plain packaging “hasn’t proved to be effective” and nor have health warning labels “in helping smokers quit”.²¹¹

CCC also argued that “further bans of vaping products will drive more consumers to illegal products on the unregulated black market, where there is no guarantee of safety or quality. A larger black market will make it even easier for minors to purchase vaping products with no age verifications at all.”²¹¹

Opposed Intellectual Property Waiver on COVID-19 Vaccines

CCC opposed attempts by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to improve access to COVID-19 vaccines. WTO considered temporarily waiving intellectual property rights relating to the prevention, containment or treatment of COVID-19, to allow WTO member countries to manufacture enough vaccines to cope with demand.²¹² CCC published an article in May 2021 criticising President Biden’s support of the waiver,²¹³ and another in June 2022 arguing that the “TRIPS waiver will cost us decades of progress”.²¹⁴ CCC also advocated for Germany and Canada to oppose the waiver,²¹⁵²¹⁶ and appears to have attempted to influence Members of the European Parliament on the subject, predominantly through its “Innovation, Brands and Intellectual Property- The Future of Europe” group.²¹⁷

Tobacco companies with links to CCC had invested in COVID-19 vaccine development.

• For more information see Tobacco Company Investments in Pharmaceutical & NRT Products.

The tobacco industry has a history of using intellectual property arguments to oppose new tobacco control regulations, such as the introduction of plain packaging and graphic health warnings.²¹⁸

Other Affiliations

• In addition to being scheduled to speak at the anti-WHO event, the IEA was involved in launching the CCC in April 2017. Christopher Snowdon, the IEA’s “Head of Lifestyle Economics”, featured in the promotional video for the CCC’s launch event.²¹⁹
• At its launch event, the CCC disclosed that it “collaborated with” EPICENTER, a free-market think tank collective, set up and funded by the IEA.²²⁰
• CCC was represented by Jeff Stier at the launch of Forest EU, a tobacco industry-funded pro-smoking group.²²¹
• Another US-based organisation linked to Students for Liberty also has links to CCC: ‘Young Voices’, described as a “nonprofit talent agency and PR firm for pro-liberty students and young professionals”.²²² Young Voices’ board includes representatives of the Atlas Network, CCC, Reason Magazine (see the Reason Foundation) and R Street Institute.²²² It has a platform targeting the EU, called ‘Young Voices Europe’. Several authors are employed by, or have links to, SFL, CCC or WVA.²²³²²⁴ Writers associated with ‘Young Voices Europe’ have published articles arguing against increases in tobacco taxes in the EU,²²⁵²²⁶ and in support of nicotine pouches following the ‘Swedish experience’.²²⁷²²⁸

Other Entities

Consumer Choice Center Europe

In December 2023 a new entity ‘Policy Practices Institute Inc’ was registered in Florida, US as a ‘domestic non-profit’.²²⁹²³⁰ On 20 March 2024, it changed name to Consumer Choice Center Europe (referred to as CCC EU here), the same date it was registered on the EU Transparency Register.^6869231

CCC EU’s mission stated on its register entry is “to promote innovative, consumer-centric technology and innovation policies”. However, as of 2026, it also lists public health in its fields of interest.⁶⁹²³¹  It states that it “does not represent commercial interests”.

When it was first registered in 2024, it stated that it “does not receive any funding from Consumer Choice Center and does not plan to receive any in the future.”⁶⁹ As of 2026, it stated that “it is a legally separate and independent organisation, with distinct objectives and projects focused on digital and innovation policy, as well as separate funding”.⁶⁹²³¹ For 2025, it declared funding from Google,  Meta and CarVertical.⁶⁹²³¹

All the listed directors and officers also hold roles in CCC.⁶⁶⁸ Fred Roeder is listed as the person with legal responsibility for the organisation in the EU.⁶⁹

Consumer Choice Center UNK

Another entity, Consumer Choice Center UNK, was registered as a not for profit corporation in the US.²³²²³³ However, as of January 2025, this company’s status appeared as “revoked”.²³⁴²³⁵

Relevant Links

• Consumer Choice Center website

Tobacco Tactics Resources

• Institute of Economic Affairs
• Atlas Network
• World Vapers’ Alliance
• We Vape
• Tobacco Industry Interference with Endgame Policies.
• EPICENTER
• Forest EU
• Lobby Groups

TCRG Research

Eleventh WHO FCTC Conference of the Parties: encouraging progress despite ongoing tobacco industry interference, R. Alebshehy, T. Gatehouse, D.K. Sy, L. Rae-Ferat, D. Dorado, Tobacco Tactics team, Tobacco Control, December 20251;34(6):711-3, doi:10.1136/tc-2025-059972

Attempts to undermine global public health: observations from the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control’s COP10, K. Silver, B. K. Mathes, H. Alaouie, T. Gatehouse, R. Maynard, J. Mehegan, S. Elmitwalli, A. Bertscher, and R. Alebshehy, Health Promotion International, 2 May 2024, doi:10.1093/heapro/daae038

Exploring the Twitter activity around the eighth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, L. Robertson, A. Joshi, T. Legg, G. Wenlock, K. Ray, K Evans-Reeves, Tobacco Control, 11 November 2020, doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2020-055889