[Intl-tobacco] Novotny criticizes US on FCTC - text

[Robert Weissman]

http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/event/dhhsdemo/novotny.html

Statement of Thomas E. Novotny, MD MPH

Former Chief US Delegate to the
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control

San Francisco, Wednesday, February 12, 2003


There has been a major change in America on tobacco in the past two
years. After a tremendous push in the 1990's to regulate tobacco
products and restrict American tobacco companies' expansion abroad,
there has been no effort under the Bush administration to regulate
tobacco through the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)) or to encourage
states to adequately fund proved tobacco control programs. In addition,
during the negotiations on the World Health Organization's (WHO)
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the US has shown little
leadership in tackling tobacco as the global health scourge. We have
learned a great deal about tobacco control in this country, yet we also
bear responsibility for much of the dissemination of tobacco use
throughout the world. Our movies glamorize smoking, the multi-national
tobacco companies based in the US aggressively market their products to
the developing world, and the US refuses to consider binding
international obligations based on public health principles to control
tobacco use.

Even with all the talk of war and bioterrorism, it makes no sense to be
weak on domestic or international tobacco control. Each year tobacco use
results in more than 400,000 smoker deaths, another 50,000 or so
nonsmoker deaths, and $75.5 billion in direct U.S. medical care costs.
It is also estimated that there will be 10 million annual tobacco
fatalities worldwide by 2030. Years of scientific research and policy
advocacy have taught us how to reduce tobacco's devastating impact on
societies and economies-we just are not doing it.

The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control is the first international
treaty effort to address the global problem of tobacco use. However,
U.S. negotiators have taken weak positions on restricting passive
smoking, banning the misleading labeling of cigarettes, banning all
advertising and promotion of tobacco products, and raising taxes to
reduce consumption. Tobacco products are unlike any other traded
product; when used as directed, they kill. Therefore, we need strong
international agreements to control this cross-border hazard. The
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) should work harder with
Congress and the White House, where there is substantial influence by
the tobacco industry, to show good faith in this multilateral effort. In
fact, many of the interventions addressed by the Convention are based
largely on scientific evidence developed here in the United States.
Right now, the U.S. is embarrassingly weak in support of many proved
actions to prevent and control tobacco use, in particular the banning of
all tobacco advertising and promotion and support for strong actions to
ban exposure to passive smoke.

It's time to show more leadership in Framework Convention negotiations
beginning next week in Geneva. It's time for our government to listen
more closely to public health professionals both inside and outside
government, to the tobacco control advocacy groups, and to our
international partners on this issue. It's time to do the right thing.