Health

U.S. signs on to global tobacco control treaty

So far, 113 nations have signed the agreement, but ratification by 40 is needed to enact the document.

By Susan J. Landers — Posted June 14, 2004

Print  |   Email  |   Respond  |   Reprints  |   Like Facebook  |   Share Twitter  |   Tweet Linkedin

Washington -- Dept. of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson May 10 signed a landmark international treaty for tobacco control. Anti-smoking advocates hope this step will lead to meaningful actions to curb tobacco use throughout the world.

"The United States has long been a world leader in anti-smoking efforts," he said. "We have committed more resources than any other country to the research, development and evaluation of smoking control and cessation programs, both at home and abroad."

The World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was approved unanimously last year by the members of the World Health Assembly, including the United States, after three years of negotiations. It is the first global agreement to try to reduce the rising toll of tobacco-related illnesses in the world.

The AMA applauded Thompson's signing of the FCTC. "Tobacco now kills some five million people each year," said AMA Trustee Ron M. Davis, MD. "Without this new international treaty, that number could climb to 10 million deaths a year, with 70% of these new tobacco deaths occurring in the developing world."

The treaty must now be ratified by the Senate to gain full U.S. backing.

"Signing the treaty is good public relations; ratifying it will be good public health," said John Kirkwood, president and CEO of the American Lung Assn. "Merely signing it without Senate ratification is a hollow victory."

So far, 113 nations have endorsed the document, which has a June 29 deadline for signatures, and 14 nations have ratified it. It must be ratified by 40 countries before it can take effect, but this hurdle has no deadline.

Once in place, the document would require countries to impose restrictions on tobacco advertising, sponsorship and promotion; call for new packaging and labeling of tobacco products; establish clean indoor air controls; and strengthen legislation to stop tobacco smuggling.

Weighing the impact

While the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids supports the treaty and believes it to be strong, the actual effects on the tobacco industry in the United States are likely to be slight if the treaty is, in fact, ratified by the Senate, said Judy Wilkenfeld, director of the group's international programs.

Although the treaty calls for a ban on advertising, it exempts nations that have constitutions preventing such bans, and that includes the United States, she said. But the treaty would require stronger warnings on the fronts and backs of cigarette packages, and those warnings would have to cover at least 30% of the packaging.

Currently, cigarettes sold in this country have warnings only on the sides of the packages. Canada, in contrast, requires warnings on the backs and fronts of packs, and those warnings must cover 50% of the space. Brazil has a warning label that covers 100% of one side.

The treaty also requires nations to work together to help stop tobacco smuggling, a provision that the United States drafted and would be expected to comply with. Other provisions are recommendations rather than requirements, Wilkenfeld said, and they ask only that nations make their best efforts to put them forward. Among them are the promotion of smoking prevention and cessation.

The treaty is likely to have its strongest effect in the developing world. "For far too long, the tobacco industry has targeted the developing world for new markets to sell their lethal products," said the Lung Assn.'s Kirkwood. "The treaty provides new tools to protect the public, especially the world's children, from tobacco addiction, disease and death."

Back to top


External links

The World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (link)

Back to top


ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISE HERE


Featured
Read story

Confronting bias against obese patients

Medical educators are starting to raise awareness about how weight-related stigma can impair patient-physician communication and the treatment of obesity. Read story


Read story

Goodbye

American Medical News is ceasing publication after 55 years of serving physicians by keeping them informed of their rapidly changing profession. Read story


Read story

Policing medical practice employees after work

Doctors can try to regulate staff actions outside the office, but they must watch what they try to stamp out and how they do it. Read story


Read story

Diabetes prevention: Set on a course for lifestyle change

The YMCA's evidence-based program is helping prediabetic patients eat right, get active and lose weight. Read story


Read story

Medicaid's muddled preventive care picture

The health system reform law promises no-cost coverage of a lengthy list of screenings and other prevention services, but some beneficiaries still might miss out. Read story


Read story

How to get tax breaks for your medical practice

Federal, state and local governments offer doctors incentives because practices are recognized as economic engines. But physicians must know how and where to find them. Read story


Read story

Advance pay ACOs: A down payment on Medicare's future

Accountable care organizations that pay doctors up-front bring practice improvements, but it's unclear yet if program actuaries will see a return on investment. Read story


Read story

Physician liability: Your team, your legal risk

When health care team members drop the ball, it's often doctors who end up in court. How can physicians improve such care and avoid risks? Read story

  • Stay informed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn