[Intl-tobacco] Take action on FCTC

[Robert Weissman]

>From the American Lung Association:

To reduce the leading cause of preventable disease and death,
please contact President Bush and urge his support for a strong
global tobacco control treaty.  Following is information from the
American Lung Association, Congressman Henry Waxman and
the Los Angeles Times.

President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20500
Phone: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461

Or you can take action on this alert via the web at:
http://lungaction.org/campaign/fctc

We encourage you to take action by December 8, 2001

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On November 22, 191 countries will meet in Geneva, Switzerland
for the third round of negotiations on the Framework Convention on
Tobacco Control. The American Lung Association is extremely
troubled by the role the U.S. Delegation has played throughout the
treaty negotiation process. Far from leading the world on this issue,
the U.S. government has attempted to weaken many aspects of the
treaty.

- - - -

Sample letter to President Bush:

I am writing to urge you to actively support a strong and enforceable
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control treaty.

The World Health Organization estimates that 4 million people will
die this year as a result of tobacco use and addiction. By 2030,
10 million people will be dying each year from tobacco use, seventy
percent of these deaths will occur in the developing nations. Tobacco
will soon become the leading cause of illness worldwide, causing
one of every eight deaths.

Strong U.S. leadership can help end this global tragedy!
The World Health Organization has taken a powerful step forward
by initiating the first treaty on tobacco control--the Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control.  This treaty represents a unique
opportunity to halt the pandemic of tobacco disease and addiction
by establishing global standards for tobacco control policies. We
urge you to direct the U.S. delegation to the Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control to support strong tobacco control
provisions such as a ban on tobacco advertising and promotion
and strong provisions to protect people from the dangers of
secondhand smoke.

The United States has a responsibility to show leadership on this
issue. A strong treaty could prevent millions of people from suffering
from tobacco-related death and disease.

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Waxman challenges Bush on FCTC.  Read Mr. Waxman's letter at
http://www.house.gov/reform/min/inves_tobacco/index.htm

- - - -

Waxman Critical of President's Tobacco Stance
Policy: California representative accuses administration
of trying to block stricter global standards for industry.

By Ronald D. White
Los Angeles Times
November 19, 2001

On the eve of a major international conference designed to address
the sharp rise in smoking, a California congressman accused the
Bush administration Sunday of marching in lock-step with Big
Tobacco to undermine or eliminate serious global regulations to
curb tobacco use.

The remarks by Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles) came
as the third round of negotiations in the Framework Convention on
Tobacco Control in Geneva are set to begin Thursday. The FCTC,
with delegates from 191 nations, is scheduled to resume discussions
about potential controls on everything from tobacco exports to taxes,
advertising and terminology.

Waxman, the ranking minority member on the House Government
Reform Committee and one of President Bush's leading antagonists
on tobacco and other health-related issues, accused administration
negotiators of doing everything they could to prevent strong global
standards. "It's either an eye-popping coincidence or a testament
to the insidious influence that Philip Morris has on the Bush
administration," Waxman said in a statement accompanying a letter
to Bush. "The president's negotiators promoted 10 of the 11 deletions
requested by Philip Morris.... The appearance is awful.... The
president should instruct his delegation to put public health ahead
of the interests of Philip Morris."

The global framework convention dates back to May 1999, when the
World Health Organization paved the way for international negotiations
on a set of rules and regulations addressing the sharp rise of tobacco
use worldwide. The health organization, which has called tobacco use
epidemic, estimates that tobacco causes an estimated 4.2 million
deaths annually. As envisioned by supporters, the framework can
and should set strong standards designed to curb tobacco use.

Bush could not be reached for comment on Waxman's letter. A White
House press spokesman said that "in general, the U.S. has been a
world leader in efforts to control tobacco use--particularly when it
comes to teen smoking."

Repeated efforts to obtain comments from Philip Morris representatives
were unsuccessful. But a statement about the health organization's
framework on the company's Web site said, "We do not agree ... that
tobacco use is an 'epidemic,' and are concerned that certain proposals
by WHO fail to recognize tobacco consumption as a legitimate choice
that adults should be free to make."

Supporters of a strong international anti-smoking treaty said the tenor
of the U.S.' stance has changed since Bush took office.

"At the last negotiating session when the Bush people took over, I
was struck by how dramatic the changes were in position," said Judy
Wilkenfeld, director of international programs for the Campaign for
Tobacco Free Kids in Washington. "Bush appeared to be ... taking
postures more in line with what the tobacco industry wants, so we're
not surprised."

"Right on down the line, the Bush people either opposed strong
positions or moved to delete provisions you need to have to have
effective tobacco control."

Waxman has been a caustic critic of the tobacco industry longer than
nearly anyone else in Congress and has been an outspoken advocate
on behalf of public health and tobacco control officials who have urged
Congress and the White House to take action against smoking-related
disease.

Waxman's 12-page letter ticked off a list of examples in which he
claimed Bush administration negotiators took the same stance as
Philip Morris or differed just slightly:

* Tobacco exports: A draft of the FCTC would require tobacco firms
to abide by the laws of their home countries when producing exports
for the developing world. Waxman said that Philip Morris documents
showed that the company wanted this eliminated, and that Bush
negotiators proposed an amendment to eliminate it.

* Tobacco taxes: Waxman said that Philip Morris opposes
"burdensome" taxes and that Bush negotiators proposed that all
tobacco taxes be voluntary.

* Tobacco terminology: The FCTC draft proposed restricting terms
such as "light" and "low tar" because they are based on flawed and
misleading research. Again, said Waxman, Philip Morris objected
and Bush negotiators proposed eliminating the restriction.

* Tobacco advertising: Waxman said Philip Morris has objected to a
draft of the treaty that would require companies to disclose all public
expenditures related to advertising and promotion. The Bush
administration, Waxman said, has proposed the disclosure of only
"aggregate" expenses.

* Regulations: The draft would authorize the World Health
Organization to develop standards for testing and measuring,
designing, manufacturing and processing tobacco products. Philip
Morris has opposed mandatory standards, and the Bush
administration has proposed requiring that all specific standards
be established by individual governments.

* Duty-free sales: The draft treaty would eliminate duty-free sales,
which make smuggling easier and allow travelers access to tobacco
at low prices, according to smoking control advocates. Both Philip
Morris and the Bush administration want them preserved, Waxman said.