The Interstate Tobacco Industry Union (SindiTabaco) has assessed with concern the recommendations discussed at the 11th Conference of the Parties of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (COP11), held in November in Geneva, Switzerland. According to the entity, the proposals could create a more restrictive environment for the production chain, which integrates thousands of producers in southern Brazil. Considered one of the countries that most rapidly adopts international anti-tobacco guidelines, Brazil may increase regulatory pressure on segments ranging from cultivation to marketing. Among the warning points, the president of SindiTabaco, Valmor Thesing (pictured), cites possible stricter environmental requirements, especially related to cigarette filters. "If they advance in this direction, the risk is to push consumers from the legal market to the illegal one," he states. The conference brought together more than 1,600 delegates from member countries, NGOs, and ...