From awhite@essential.org Wed Dec 11 22:32:15 2002 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@venice.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2999829B0F for ; Wed, 11 Dec 2002 22:32:15 -0500 (EST) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id F2BE2258 for ; Wed, 11 Dec 2002 22:32:14 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: <3DF80867.C0AB421D@essential.org> Date: Wed, 11 Dec 2002 22:54:15 -0500 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: TAKE ACTION! Don't Let Formula 1 Sabotage Turkey's Tobacco Ad Ban content-transfer-encoding: 7bit content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: ***************************************************************** TAKE ACTION! Don't Let Formula 1 Sabotage Turkey's Tobacco Ad Ban ***************************************************************** Dear Global "Tobacco-Activists"! Formula One receives $350 million in tobacco industry sponsorship each year. Yesterday, Formula One and Big Tobacco, were dealt a major defeat when Belgium decided not to exempt Formula One from its tobacco advertising ban. But other countries' hard-fought tobacco control laws are in jeopardy. Formula One recently chose to hold races in Instanbul, Turkey in 2005. Under Turkey's strong tobacco advertising ban, tobacco sponsorship of Formula One teams would be illegal. In September, however, Max Mosely (President of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile) sent a letter to Essential Action stating, "We would not attempt to hold a Formula One race in a country where [tobacco sponsorship] is not allowed." We understand this statement to mean that Formula One intends to sabotage Turkey's advertising ban, by seeking an exemption -- as it has aggressively done elsewhere. PLEASE TAKE THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS: We've made it real easy for you. Just click on below links, fill out your name and contact information and hit "send." Feel free to modify the text of the letters, by adding personalized comments. 1. Send a fax to Turkish Prime Minister Mr. Abdullah Gul urging him to protect Turkey's tobacco ad ban from Formula One! http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=turkey0212 2. Send a fax to Mr. Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One Owner urging him to publicly confirm that Formula One races in Turkey will be tobacco sponsorship - free! http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=turkey0828b 3. Send a fax to Mr. Max Mosely, President, Federation Internationale de l'Automobile to follow up on his letter to Essential Action http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=turkey0828a Please send us copies of any responses you receive! For more information about this campaign go to: http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/letter/tr0208/ On behalf of the Turkish National Committee on Tobacco and Health, we thank you for participating! Anna White Essential Action P.O. Box 19405 Washington, DC 20036 Tel: +1 202-387-8030 Fax: +1 202-234-5176 Email: tobacco@essential.org http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco From awhite@essential.org Tue Dec 17 20:02:09 2002 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@venice.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id ABA1529B7B for ; Tue, 17 Dec 2002 20:02:09 -0500 (EST) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 897B9C1 for ; Tue, 17 Dec 2002 20:02:08 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: <3DFFCE46.6E37E1DD@essential.org> Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 20:24:22 -0500 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: TAKE ACTION: Killing customers is NOT respectable (East Africa) content-transfer-encoding: 7bit content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: **************************************************************** TAKE ACTION: Killing customers is NOT respectable (East Africa) **************************************************************** Dear Global "Tobacco-Activists"! Each year, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Nation Media Group list the top ten "Most Respected Companies and Most Respected CEOs" in East Africa. In December 2002, they reported that Tanzania Cigarette Company* ranked 6th and its CEO ranked 3rd as, respectively, the "Most Respected Company" and "Most Respected CEO." Phillip Karugaba of TEAN (Uganda) calls on people around the world to set the record straight: companies that make money off of products that kill people when used as intended deserve no more respect than serial killers! The inclusion of Tanzania Cigarette Company in the "Top 10" list condones corporate murder for profit. To send a quick letter-to-the-editor to newspapers that reported on the "Top 10" list, go to: http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=tanzania Note: Letters should be short, hard-hitting, and original. * Tanzania Cigarette Company has a joint venture with Japan Tobacco International. ---------------- Essential Action P.O. Box 19405 Washington, DC 20036 Tel: +1 202-387-8030 Fax: +1 202-234-5176 Email: tobacco@essential.org http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco From awhite@essential.org Mon Dec 23 19:44:20 2002 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@venice.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id B605529B19 for ; Mon, 23 Dec 2002 19:44:20 -0500 (EST) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 7ADD024B for ; Mon, 23 Dec 2002 19:44:20 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: <3E07B324.43215579@essential.org> Date: Mon, 23 Dec 2002 20:06:44 -0500 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: 6 letters re: Tanzania Cig Co printed in East African content-transfer-encoding: 7bit content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Dear Global "Tobacco-Activists," Thanks to all who sent short letters to the editor regarding the inclusion of Tanzania Cigarettes Company in the top ten "most respected companies" list, sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Nation Media Group. Philip Karugaba (Uganda) is pleased to announce that first six letters sent were published in today's The East African (weekly publication of the Nation Group)! * Shane Kawenata Bradbrook, ATAK - Maori Smokefree Coalition (NEW ZEALAND) * Dr. Manoj Fernando, Sumithrayo Drug Demand Reduction Programme (SRI LANKA) * Ken Dahlgren, Reality Check (USA) * Joanne B. Koldare, NYC Coalition For A Smoke Free City (USA) * Samantha Mellema, Reality Check (USA) * Glynn Washington (USA) To read the letters, go to: http://www.nationaudio.com/News/EastAfrican/current/Opinion/index.html The letters are also online at: http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/letter/ug0212/letters.html Phillip and his colleagues have taken the extra step of forwarding the letters to journalists in other papers, and will let us know if further media coverage comes of it. In the meantime, keep those letters coming. To write a short letter, go to: http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=tanzania #### Update on Turkey letter campaign As of Dec 23, an impressive 197 faxes had been sent the Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, urging him to protect Turkey's tobacco ad ban from Formula. Meanwhile, 214 and 182 faxes have been sent, respectively, to Formula One owner Bernie Ecclestone and FIA President Max Mosley. More faxes are needed! If you have not yet participated, please do by clicking on the following links: Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=turkey0212 Formula One owner Bernie Ecclestone. Click on: http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=turkey0828b FIA President Max Mosley http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=turkey0828a Elif Dagli (Turkey) will keep us posted re: any further developments on this issue. Thanks for your participation! Anna White Essential Action P.O. Box 19405 Washington, DC 20036 Tel: +1 202-387-8030 Fax: +1 202-234-5176 Email: tobacco@essential.org http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco From awhite@essential.org Thu Jan 16 19:19:49 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@venice.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 55CD129B19 for ; Thu, 16 Jan 2003 19:19:49 -0500 (EST) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 12A4B257 for ; Thu, 16 Jan 2003 19:19:49 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: <3E27518F.654383C9@essential.org> Date: Thu, 16 Jan 2003 19:42:55 -0500 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: URGENT ACTION: Submit questions for WHO DG videoconference by 17:00 GMT, Fri 1/17! content-transfer-encoding: 7bit content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Dear Global "Tobacco-Activists", As many of you may already know, Dr. Gro Harlem Bruntland, Director General of the World Health Organization -- who has been credited with pushing global tobacco control to the forefront of WHO's agenda -- will be stepping down from this position later this year. Eight candidates are currently vying for the WHO Director General position. Oddly and somewhat worrisomely, there has been virtually no public discussion of the candidates' views on tobacco control. Next week, the WHO Executive Board will meet to nominate a single candidate for approval by vote of all the WHO's 192 member states at its assembly in May 2003. This Sunday (19 January 2003), the eight WHO Director General candidates will participate in a two-hour question and answer session open to the public and linked across the world via video and teleconferencing. This is one of the last chances we have to pose questions to the candidates re: their visions for WHO's future leadership in the area of tobacco control! WE STRONGLY ENCOURAGE EVERYONE RECEIVING THIS EMAIL TO SUBMIT TOBACCO-RELATED QUESTIONS FOR SUNDAY'S VIDEO CONFERENCE! You may submit questions by sending an email to by 17:00 GMT on Friday, 17 January. In particular, we encourage you to ask questions related to the candidates': * tobacco control experience * views on the tobacco industry and its campaigns (e.g. bogus "youth smoking prevention" programs, "stakeholder dialogues" etc) * vision for WHO's continued leadership in the area of global tobacco control (e.g. funding, TFI staffing) * plans for preventing tobacco industry influence over WHO programs and agenda WHO projects that tobacco will kill 10+ million people annually by the year 2030. It is vital that the new WHO Director General is a committed tobacco control advocate, willing to stand up to the global tobacco industry. For more information about the videoconference, as well as background on the WHO Director General search, please see below. Let's find out which candidate is most enthusiastic about taking on the global Merchants of Death! Anna Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control Essential Action P.O. Box 19405 Washington, DC 20036 Tel: +1 202-387-8030 Fax: +1 202-234-5176 Email: awhite@essential.org http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco BACKGROUND INFORMATION The Lancet: Ongoing dialogue about WHO Director General candidates http://www.thelancet.com/journal/vol361/iss9352/who_director_general_election VIDEOCONFERENCE INFORMATION Date: Sunday 19 January 2003 Times: 15:00 GENEVA 19.30 MUMBAI 14:00 LONDON 01:00 OKINAWA 09:00 WASHINGTON DC 17:00 ADDIS ABABA 16:00 DURBAN 12:00 BRAZIL To register to attend one of the live sites around the world (Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Japan, South Africa, and the USA), please contact: events@ihn.info #### PRESS RELEASE Civil society organisations sponsor first-ever public dialogue with candidates for Director General of the World Health Organization Candidates for the top post in world health - the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) - will participate on Sunday 19 January 2003 in a two-hour question and answer session open to the public and linked across the world via video and teleconferencing. A broad coalition involving more than 300 civil society organisations have linked up to co-sponsor the event which will take place from 14.00 to 16.00 GMT. Funded by the UK-based Exchange programme and the Geneva-based NGO (non-governmental organisation) Forum for Health, it is being organised by the Interactive Health Network's World Health Channel. 'This is a unique opportunity for health ministers, civil society organisations and others with an interest in health to ask candidates to address publicly the critical issues in global health today', said Andrew Chetley, Director of Exchange - a networking and learning programme that promotes effective health communication. The videoconference will be broadcast on the Internet - log into http://www.ihn.info to either listen (low bandwidth) or view (high bandwidth) the event. A facility on the website will enable people to e-mail questions directly to the event in Geneva. Questions can also be e-mailed in advance to events@ihn.info before 17.00 GMT on Friday, 17 January. The videoconference will also be broadcast globally via the WorldSpace satellite system - a unique technology that allows access to areas of the world with no internet access or telecommunications infrastructure and will be rebroadcast throughout Brazil by Canal Saude. The candidates will be asked a series of questions from audiences in Geneva and around the world. International links will include the Nelson Mandela School of Medicine and the Medical Research Council in South Africa, the World Bank Institute and the George Washington University in the USA, Canal Saude (Health Channel) in Brazil, and health experts in Ethiopia, India, Japan and Sweden. The eight candidates vying for the post of WHO Director General are (in alphabetical order): * Awa Marie Coll-Seck, Health Minister of Senegal. She is a medical professor and former policy director at UNAIDS * Julio Frenk, Health Minister of Mexico and a public health expert centrally involved in developing a tool for measuring the global burden of disease * Karam Karam, former Health Minister of Lebanon. * Jong Wook Lee, doctor from South Korea, head of WHO's programme to stop tuberculosis. * Pascoal Manuel Mocumbi, Prime Minister and former Health Minister of Mozambique * Peter Piot, head of UNAIDS, a Belgian epidemiologist and microbiologist who was one of the doctors who helped isolate the Ebola virus. * Ismail Sallam, professor of cardiac surgery who was until recently Egypt's Minster of Health and Population. * Joseph Williams, medical doctor, parliamentarian and former Prime Minister of the Cook Islands. The WHO Executive Board meets the week following the debate. The Board will nominate a single candidate for approval by vote of all the WHO's 192 member states at its assembly in May 2003. -ends- For further information, please contact: Andrew Chetley, Exchange, +44 20 7539 1591 chetley.a@healthlink.org.uk Dr. Harry McConnell, Interactive Health Network harry@ihn.info From awhite@essential.org Fri Jan 17 11:59:51 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@venice.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C3F2729B43 for ; Fri, 17 Jan 2003 11:59:51 -0500 (EST) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 22641259 for ; Fri, 17 Jan 2003 11:59:49 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: <3E283BEB.38F0B199@essential.org> Date: Fri, 17 Jan 2003 12:22:51 -0500 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: Open letter to WHO Exec Board & WHO DG candidates -- John Seffrin, UICC content-transfer-encoding: 7bit content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Dear Global "Tobacco-Activists", Today, the Lancet published an open letter to the WHO Executive Board and WHO Director General candidates from John Seffrin, President of the International Agency Against Cancer. The letter poses several key questions related to tobacco control. You may want to use it as a guide to frame your own questions to the candidates. #### Open letter to WHO Executive Board and candidates for Director General (Published in the Jan 18, 2003 issue of The Lancet http://www.thelancet.com/) Sir--Tobacco use is projected to kill more than 10 million people annually by 2025, and 70% of those deaths are expected to occur in low-income countries. Between now and then, more than 150 million people will die from tobacco use--more than all deaths attributed to AIDS, automobile accidents, maternal mortality, homicide, and suicide combined. In recent years, WHO has provided exemplary leadership in seeking to arrest the global tobacco pandemic. It has established the Tobacco Free Initiative and started negotiations on a landmark international treaty: the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. I write to you on behalf of the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) and allied public-health advocates in support of maintaining and strengthening this global leadership in tobacco control. We urge the WHO Executive Committee and all prospective candidates for Director General to address and seriously consider the following. Currently, tobacco causes 7% of all deaths in the world, but a far smaller proportion of WHO's budget is allocated to the promotion of tobacco control policies and programmes that have proven highly effective in preventing tobacco prevalence. Should not WHO's core budget allocations at least reflect the proportionate death toll from tobacco and the high potential for effectively stemming that escalating toll? Should not intramural funding for tobacco control be increased? Should there not also be increased staffing for WHO's Tobacco Free Initiative? Gro Harlem Bruntland has used her position as Director General to initiate the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and to propel tobacco control to the forefront of WHO's agenda as well as to gain worldwide media and political focus on the importance of tobacco control. Should not the new Director General place a high priority on advocating and supporting ratification and implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control through comprehensive national tobacco control laws and programmes? In 2000, a WHO Committee of Experts concluded that "tobacco companies have operated for many years with the deliberate purpose of subverting the efforts of WHO to control tobacco use. The attempted subversion has been elaborate, well-financed, sophisticated and usually invisible." This committee's recommendations included: protecting the integrity of WHO's decision-making process by requiring disclosure of affiliations between tobacco companies and WHO employees, World Health Assembly delegates, and non-governmental organisations; and protecting the public from future tobaccoindustry misconduct by requiring WHO to monitor tobacco industry activity and issuing regular public reports on its findings to ensure tobacco company misconduct does not remain hidden. What steps should the Director General take to ensure that these and other recommendations of the Committee of Experts are implemented? The Millennium Development Goals have set important targets for public health advances in numerous areas, but not for non-communicable diseases. What measures should the Director General apply to assess global success or failure in stemming the tobacco epidemic? What targets should the Director General set for WHO's tobacco control programmes and interventions? On behalf of the UICC's 290 member organisations throughout the world, I respectfully request the attention of the Executive Committee and of each of the candidates for Director General to these critical questions. There is no single set of issues that you are likely to address that has greater potential for reducing pain, misery, and death throughout the world. John R Seffrin International Union Against Cancer, Geneva, Switzerland (e-mail:john.seffrin@cancer.org) --------------------------------------- Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control Essential Action P.O. Box 19405 Washington, DC 20036 Tel: +1 202-387-8030 Fax: +1 202-234-5176 Email: tobacco@essential.org http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco From awhite@essential.org Wed Jan 29 12:33:56 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@venice.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id E89E929B39 for ; Wed, 29 Jan 2003 12:33:56 -0500 (EST) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3A3C7272 for ; Wed, 29 Jan 2003 12:33:03 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: <3E3815C8.73FB3A10@essential.org> Date: Wed, 29 Jan 2003 12:56:24 -0500 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: TAKE ACTION: Tell U.S. and Germany to stop blocking a strong FCTC! content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Dear Global "Tobacco Activists", The last round of Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) negotiations is coming up shortly. The U.S. and Germany are both blocking a strong FCTC. Below are 3 quick and easy ways you can take action: 1. Send a fax to the U.S. Delegation to the FCTC (San Francisco Tobacco Free Coalition 2. Sign a petition to the German Chancellor Gerhard Schr=F6der (German Coalition against Smoking) 3. Participate TODAY in national call-in to DHHS Secretary Tommy Thompson (Infact) #### KENNETH BERNARD: STOP GLOBAL TOBACCO! It's a lot easier to sell cigarettes around the world when you have the U.S. government on your team. Tell the U.S. Government to support the Tobacco Control Treaty and stop spreading cigarette deaths around the world! Send a free fax to Assistant Surgeon General Kenneth Bernard, chairman of the U.S. delegation to the FCTC: http://www.StopGlobalTobacco.org If you want to take an additional action, print out and send a postcard that features a photo President Bush, aka "The Marlboro Man", tipping his cowboy hat. For more information: Alyonik Hrushow, San Francisco Tobacco Free Project Director #### GERHARD SCHRODER: STOP GERMANY'S BLOCKING POSITION Germany is one of the countries blocking an effective treaty. Please join the German Coalition against Smoking in signing an online letter to Chancellor Gerhard Schr=F6der at http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=3Dde-eng calling on Chancellor Schr=F6der (with a cc to the head of the German FCTC-delegation) to finally end the blocking position of the German government in the upcoming last round of negotiations towards the FCTC from mid-February onwards. The list of signatures will be handed over at a demonstration against the tobacco politics of our government, planned for the 12th of February in front of the office of Chancellor Schr=F6der in Berlin. We need as many signatures as possible - so please hand this on to your friends and colleagues - as many as possible. Thanks for your support in this effort! Kind regards - for the German coalition against smoking: Annette Bornh=E4user or give her a call at 202-547-0953 --------------------------------------- Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control Essential Action P.O. Box 19405 Washington, DC 20036 Tel: +1 202-387-8030 Fax: +1 202-234-5176 Email: tobacco@essential.org http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco From awhite@essential.org Fri Mar 7 16:52:40 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@venice.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id E044A29B71 for ; Fri, 7 Mar 2003 16:52:40 -0500 (EST) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 37642263 for ; Fri, 7 Mar 2003 16:52:35 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: <3E691A68.63C7B4B@essential.org> Date: Fri, 07 Mar 2003 17:17:13 -0500 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: TAKE ACTION: Strengthen warning labels in Uganda! content-transfer-encoding: 7bit content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Dear Global "TobaccoActivists", Phillip Karugaba of The Environmental Action Network reports that the Uganda National Bureau of Standards has published new standards for cigarette health warning labels in Uganda. If no objection is received within the next 60 days the standards are to be recommended to the Minister of Trade & Industry for adoption. Unfortunately, the new standards are extremely weak. They prescribe a new warning label "HEALTH WARNING: CIGARETTE SMOKING IS HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH", in English and Swahili, and in small font. The warning does not mention any specific health problems, nor does it mandate a specific size, color, or placement of the warning -- not to mention the inclusion of hard-hitting graphic images (particularly vital for people who are not literate). Instead, Ugandan tobacco control advocates are urging their country to adopt strong Canadian/Brazilian-style health warnings*. TAKE ACTION: Send an email to the Executive Director of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards! Go to: http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=uganda A sample letter is provided, that we encourage you to modify. If you are not an Ugandan citizen, you might briefly describe who you are and why you are motivated to write. And if applicable, you might cite a relevant study or personal story re: the effectiveness of Canada/Brazil-style warnings * Brazil's warning labels: http://www.smokefreeair.org/ses/Brazil_Warnings.jpg Canada's warning labels: http://www.nsra-adnf.ca/english/warnexamples.html Thanks for participating! --------------------------------------- Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control Essential Action P.O. Box 19405 Washington, DC 20036 Tel: +1 202-387-8030 Fax: +1 202-234-5176 Email: tobacco@essential.org http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco From awhite@essential.org Fri Mar 14 16:27:13 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@venice.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1AADE29B63 for ; Fri, 14 Mar 2003 16:27:13 -0500 (EST) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id BDFAB199 for ; Fri, 14 Mar 2003 16:27:12 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: <3E724EE8.548EB562@essential.org> Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2003 16:51:36 -0500 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: TAKE ACTION! Warner Bros films used to peddle death in Nigeria content-transfer-encoding: 7bit content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: ************************************************************** Take Action! Warner Bros films used to peddle death in Nigeria ************************************************************** Dear Global "Tobacco Activists", Late last year, British American Tobacco launched a huge promotional campaign in Nigeria for its Rothmans brand. The theme of the campaign was "Experience It" and the main feature: blockbuster Hollywood films. Free lit cigarettes and brand paraphanelia were handed out at events. The double message: Experience Hollywood...Experience Smoking. For more detailed information about this outrageous promotional campaign and Essential Action's correspondence with Warner Bros about it, see below. We are calling on Warner Bros to fully disclose its business relationship with BAT, take concrete steps to prevent future use of its films to peddle death abroad, and compensate Nigerian tobacco control advocates for the harm done to their efforts. TAKE ACTION: Send a free fax to Barry M. Meyer, Chairman and CEO, Warner Bros http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=batnigeria Thanks for participating and forwarding this alert on to your friends, family, and colleagues! Anna White Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control Essential Action ##### BACKGROUND http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/letter/ng0303/ Late last year, Adeola Akinremi of Journalists Advocacy for Safe Environment and Tobacco Eradication (Nigeria) brought BAT's "Experience It" cinema tour to Essential Action's attention. To read all about the scandalous promotional campaign, click on the links below (VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!) Short report on BAT's "Experience It" cinema tour by Adeola Akinremi, JASETE http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/letter/ng0303/report.html Hollywood Comes to Town in a Dome http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/letter/ng0303/thisdayonline.html An Experience Worth a Deal http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/letter/ng0303/allafrica.html Upon further investigation, we discovered that all the films featured - Collateral Damage, Showtime, Ocean's Eleven, Romeo Must Die, & Matrix - were Warner Bros films. So we contacted Warner Bros to find out if the studio had given BAT permission to use the films. We were told that the films must have been "pirated". Pressing Warner Bros further on the issue resulted in a call from their lawyer informing us that they would be ending all correspondence, so as not to hurt their "legal position." Read Essential Action's correspondence with Warner Bros: http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/letter/ng0303/correspondence.html So we contacted the LA Times, and on March 5, an article came out on the promotional campaign. In it, Warner Bros claims not to have given BAT permission to use the films for a cinema tour in Nigeria. However, the article also notes that BAT bought the rights to screen the films last spring from Warner Nu Metro in South Africa, which raises the question: what DID BAT have the rights to use the films for, if not the Rothmans "Experience It" tour? Presumably, BAT was not getting the films merely to hold "a Warner Bros film night" for its employees! Read the LA Times article: http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/letter/ng0303/latimes.html Essential Action made another effort to contact Warner Bros following the LA Times story release, but so far no one has responded to our specific questions and requests. We're hoping that a few hundred letters from around the world will change that! LETTER CAMPAIGN CO-SPONSORED BY: * Journalists Advocacy for Safe Environment and Tobacco Eradication, NIGERIA * People Against Drug Dependence & Ignorance, NIGERIA * Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria, NIGERIA * Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control/Essential Action, USA * Reality Check, USA --------------------------------------- Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control Essential Action P.O. Box 19405 Washington, DC 20036 Tel: +1 202-387-8030 Fax: +1 202-234-5176 Email: tobacco@essential.org http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco From awhite@essential.org Tue Apr 1 17:00:18 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@venice.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9E94C29B37 for ; Tue, 1 Apr 2003 17:00:18 -0500 (EST) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 69E67C1 for ; Tue, 1 Apr 2003 17:00:17 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: <3E8A11E3.301B3936@essential.org> Date: Tue, 01 Apr 2003 17:25:40 -0500 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: Take Action: U.S. must not derail FCTC! content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: AN ACTION ALERT FROM INFACT... US unilateralism is threatening to destroy the world=92s first public health treaty. Please take a few minutes to help stop the Bush Administration from undermining this historic treaty. More than 170 countries recently stood up to the Bush Administration and supported a strong final text for the world's first public health treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). This treaty will help reverse a tobacco epidemic that kills 4.9 million people a year. It will help curb aggressive marketing and political influence peddling by a deadly industry that is targeting poor, undeveloped countries as a new source of profits. Philip Morris (Altria) and big tobacco have a powerful ally in the Bush Administration, which has waged a campaign of sabotage to undermine and weaken the treaty. The next major hurdle is the adoption of the treaty by the World Health Assembly in May. Philip Morris and the Bush Administration will fight one more time to destroy this historic treaty. Already, the Bush Administration has indicated that it will attempt to bully the countries who have agreed on this text and, instead of signing the Convention, will seek to reopen it in order to weaken and destroy it. ****************** TAKE ACTION TODAY! ****************** 1. Call Bill Steiger, Special Assistant to the Secretary of Health for International Affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services (and George Bush Senior's godson) who has been a leader in the Bush Administration's attempt to derail this treaty. Call Bill Steiger at 202-690-6174 and tell him: * 170 countries have agreed on the final draft FCTC. The Bush Administration must not bully them into reopening treaty negotiations. * US based Philip Morris is the global leader in addicting children to its deadly product. The Bush Administration must stop doing its dirty work. * The FCTC will protect the lives and health of millions around the world. The Bush Administration must not stand in the way of its adoption! If you cannot reach Dr. Steiger directly =97 leave the same message on his voice mail, or ask the person you speak with to pass it on to him. 2. Send a letter to the editor to your local newspaper(s) to help raise public awareness of US unilateralism threatening to destroy the world=92s first public health treaty. A sample letter is provided below. 3. Call Alison at Infact Campaign Headquarters at 800-688-8797 to report on your phone call, or if you have any questions. ------------------------------------------------------------------- SAMPLE LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Don=92t Let US Unilateralism Destroy the World=92s First Public Health Treaty To the Editor: At a time of darkness on the international landscape, there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon. More than 170 countries have united around the first global public health treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The FCTC will set broad limits on how giant tobacco corporations like Philip Morris (Altria) can operate worldwide. Among its groundbreaking measures, the FCTC will include a ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. Aggressive promotional tactics like the Marlboro Man have driven the global profits of tobacco transnationals. When this treaty becomes international law, it will significantly reduce Big Tobacco=92s ability to spread addiction, disease and death around the world. Tobacco now claims 4.9 million lives every year, and is quickly becoming the world=92s leading cause of death. Developing countries =97 which have been targeted as =93expansion markets=94 by the tobacco giants =97 have led the way toward this landmark agreement. The FCTC is scheduled to be adopted in May by the World Health Assembly. Now in the 11th hour, the Bush administration has indicated its intent to stop the FCTC from being adopted as is. With almost unanimous world support for this treaty, it is inexcusable for the US to continue to do Philip Morris=92s dirty work and try to derail the FCTC=92s adoption. With US unilateralism fueling anger around the world, the Bush administration must be stopped from destroying the world=92s first public health treaty. Name Four Easy Steps To Getting Your Letter Printed! 1. Use/modify this sample letter. 2. Mail, e-mail or hand deliver it to the Letters Editor of your local newspaper(s). 3. Follow-up with a phone call or e-mail to make sure they=92re going to print your letter. 4. Send us your letter =96=96 before and after it=92s printed! ---------------------------------------- Stacey Folsom, Infact National Organizer 46 Plympton Street. Boston, MA 02130 617-695-2525 - p 617-695-2626 - f www.infact.org From awhite@essential.org Thu Apr 3 18:19:04 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@venice.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id CC6AD29B64 for ; Thu, 3 Apr 2003 18:19:04 -0500 (EST) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A58C6C0 for ; Thu, 3 Apr 2003 18:19:04 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: <3E8CC75F.70633483@essential.org> Date: Thu, 03 Apr 2003 18:44:31 -0500 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: TAKE ACTION: Stop the Bush Administration from Destroying the FCTC! content-transfer-encoding: 7bit content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: ******************************************************************* TAKE ACTION: Stop the Bush Administration from Destroying the FCTC! ******************************************************************* More than 170 countries recently stood up to the Bush Administration by supporting a strong final draft of the world's first public health treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). This treaty will begin to reverse the tobacco epidemic that claims 4.9 million lives a year and set broad limits on how the deadly tobacco industry can operate worldwide. The next major hurdle in the FCTC process is the adoption of the treaty by the World Health Assembly in May where Philip Morris and the Bush Administration will fight one more time to destroy this historic treaty. Already, the Bush Administration has indicated that it will attempt to bully the countries who have agreed on this text to reopen the debate. As we lead up to the adoption of the FCTC by the World Health Assembly this May, the Bush Administration is using back door channels to derail it. For more information, go to: http://www.infact.org/ TAKE ACTION: Send an email to Dr. Bill Steiger, Special Assistant to the Secretary of International Affairs for the Department of Health and Human Services! Click on: http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=stopbush Email campaign sponsored by: Infact From awhite@essential.org Tue Apr 8 15:54:31 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@venice.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 29EF429B0F for ; Tue, 8 Apr 2003 15:54:31 -0400 (EDT) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 87305249 for ; Tue, 8 Apr 2003 15:54:29 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <3E932891.C35153B6@essential.org> Date: Tue, 08 Apr 2003 15:52:50 -0400 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: Take Action: "Youth Smoking Prevention" TV campaign by JTI in Romania content-transfer-encoding: 7bit content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: *** please forward widely *** Dear Global "Tobacco-Activists", The Romanian National Television has launched an "anti-smoking" campaign on one of its channels, TVR2. The aim of this campaign is presumably teenage smoking prevention, but the video clips broadcasted on TVR2 are delivered by Japan Tobacco International - Romania ! TAKE ACTION! Cornel Radu, of Aer Pur Romania invites you to send a letter to Romanian Television - TVR2, urging them to CUT THEIR TIES WITH THE JTI Romania! Just click on: http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=tvr What JTI Romania has to say about the new collaboration with TVR2... ROMANIAN NATIONAL TELEVISION SECOND CHANNEL & JTI ALLIED AGAINST JUVENILE SMOKING National television develops on its second channel, TVR2, an antismoking campaign, the aim of this campaign being teenagers smoking prevention. The video clips broadcasted on TVR2 are delivered by JTI Romania. The answer of Gilda Lazar, Corporate Affairs Director, JTI Romania at the question regarding the involvement of a tobacco producer in a antismoking campaign was: " We do not want teenagers to smoke! Juvenile smoking it is a problem that concerns all of us. As producers and distributors of tobacco products, we consider it is our duty to help the society in its effort to stop that phenomena". Another campaign for teenagers smoking prevention took place last year known as "Action YSP" (Youth Smoking Prevention) and was supported together with another 20 companies. "We invest in teenagers smoking prevention campaigns all around the world. In 2001 and 2002 took place two campaigns on MTV television. Our quite recent initiative is the adapting of 2002 MTV campaign for TVR2, which is developing an independent program of teenagers smoking prevention" completed Gilda Lazar. The teenagers' reactions to 2001 campaign were positive, this fact being confirmed by independent evaluation study realized at the end of the campaign. The basic idea of these campaigns is to promote an environment were teenagers are less tempted to smoke, offering to them models of no smoker teenagers, identifying themselves with them. --------------------------------------- Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control Essential Action P.O. Box 19405 Washington, DC 20036 Tel: +1 202-387-8030 Fax: +1 202-234-5176 Email: tobacco@essential.org http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco From awhite@essential.org Thu Apr 17 11:52:33 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@venice.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1969929B0F for ; Thu, 17 Apr 2003 11:52:33 -0400 (EDT) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id E7D7D256 for ; Thu, 17 Apr 2003 11:52:09 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <3E9ECD55.D32C088F@essential.org> Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003 11:50:45 -0400 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: New Tobacco Company, Licensed to Kill Inc., Rival for Altria content-transfer-encoding: 7bit content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Dear Global "Tobacco-Activists", To learn more about Licensed to Kill, Inc, read our press release below. We encourage you to send out your own press release denouncing this new company and the Commonwealth of Virginia for allowing it to exist! And feel free to send us additional text that spoofs aspects of the global tobacco industry. We will consider it for inclusion in the company's website: http://www.licensedtokill.biz Anna White Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control Essential Action #### New Tobacco Company, Licensed to Kill Inc., Rival for Altria U.S. Newswire 17 Apr 8:40 New Tobacco Company, Licensed to Kill Inc., Incorporated in Va.; Aims to 'Kill 4.9M Worldwide Annually'; New Rival for Altria To: National Desk Contact: Anna White of Essential Action, 202-387-8030 RICHMOND, Va., April 17 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released today by Essential Action: Today, Licensed to Kill, Inc, the world's newest multinational tobacco company, publicly announced its incorporation with the launch of the company's website: http://www.licensedtokill.biz. Licensed to Kill, Inc., was officially incorporated in the state of Virginia on March 19, 2003. The company's purpose, as stated in its articles of incorporation, is "the manufacture and marketing of tobacco products in a way that each year kills over 400,000 Americans and 4.5 million other persons worldwide." The name "Licensed to Kill" derives from the Latin words 'licere' and 'caedere,' meaning 'permission to kill.' The name connotes an enterprise that is fully authorized by the state to aim for peak performance and constant improvement in killing for profit. The new company is banking on its brutal honesty to spare itself from the multitude of lawsuits currently plaguing other companies within the industry. Many of these lawsuits have centered on the tobacco industry's long history of lies and deception about the deadly nature of the business. Licensed to Kill, Inc. thanks the Commonwealth of Virginia's State Corporation Commission for granting it permission to exist, noting that the societal restrictions on serial killing luckily do not apply to corporations. View a certified copy of Licensed to Kill, Inc.'s articles of incorporation at: http://www.licensedtokill.biz/articles.pdf. For more information about Licensed to Kill, Inc., including its line of products, visit our website at: http://www.licensedtokill.biz. --- EDITORS: Licensed to Kill, Inc. was incorporated on March 19, 2003, as a project of Essential Action, a corporate accountability group based in Washington, DC. Licensed to Kill, Inc. was launched to draw attention to the assistance state governments give to the formation and operation of tobacco companies, and to the nature of the industry behind the global epidemic of tobacco-related death and disease, which currently kills 4.9 million people worldwide annually. For more information: http://www.licensedtokill.biz/critics.html. http://www.usnewswire.com -0- /U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/ 04/17 08:40 Copyright 2003, U.S. Newswire From awhite@essential.org Thu Apr 17 21:25:42 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@venice.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id BC6DF29B0F for ; Thu, 17 Apr 2003 21:25:42 -0400 (EDT) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5B65225F for ; Thu, 17 Apr 2003 21:25:42 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <3E9F53C2.7CADA729@essential.org> Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003 21:24:18 -0400 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: Take Action: Tell Germany to Stop Blocking the FCTC! content-transfer-encoding: 7bit content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Dear Global "Tobacco-Activists", Please participate in this important petition campaign sponsored by the Framework Convention Alliance: Continued German government opposition to the FCTC is having very damaging effects. Unless there is a change in the German position, this resistance may prevent the rest of the EU Member States, as well as the accession countries, from ratifying the FCTC. The Framework Convention Alliance is asking everyone to take a minute to fill out an online petition addressed to the German Ministry of Health asking them to reverse course. The petition is on the web at: http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=fctc_de Please take a moment and sign it! --------------------------------------- Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control Essential Action P.O. Box 19405 Washington, DC 20036 Tel: +1 202-387-8030 Fax: +1 202-234-5176 Email: tobacco@essential.org http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco From awhite@essential.org Thu May 1 15:29:02 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@venice.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3D60029BA1 for ; Thu, 1 May 2003 15:29:02 -0400 (EDT) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id EB62197 for ; Thu, 1 May 2003 15:28:08 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <3EB17500.580BE19B@essential.org> Date: Thu, 01 May 2003 15:26:56 -0400 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: Licensed to Kill, Inc Lauds U.S. Effort to Undermine Global Tobacco Treaty x-plaintext: Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: -- [ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ] Dear Global "Tobacco-Activists", Please find Licensed to Kill's latest press release below. To sign up for future company press releases, event announcements, and statements go to: http://lists.essential.org/mailman/listinfo/licensed-to-kill (or send an email to with the word "update" in the subject field) Please help us spread the word about our Licensed to Kill email list to your colleagues, friends, and family. And don't forget: creative submissions are always welcome! Anna White Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control Essential Action http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco Note: Licensed to Kill, Inc is a project of Essential Action. Check out: http://www.licensedtokill.biz ### FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 1, 2003 Contact: Corrie Prutspin, Senior VP of Corporate Communications tobacco@licensedtokill.biz LICENSED TO KILL, INC LAUDS U.S. EFFORT TO UNDERMINE GLOBAL TOBACCO TREATY Washington, DC =96 Licensed to Kill, Inc, the world=92s newest multinationa= l tobacco company, lauded the Bush Administration today for its admirable, last-ditch effort to gut an international treaty aimed at controlling the worldwide proliferation of tobacco products and the associated epidemic of tobacco-related death and disease. On Monday, U.S. Ambassador Kevin Moley met with the director general of the World Health Organization in Geneva, on behalf of the Bush administration and its corporate constituents, to argue in favor of allowing signatories to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to disregard parts of the treaty they don=92t like. In particular, the U.S. and its tobacco industry allies are opposed to a global ban on tobacco advertising and a requirement that health warnings take up a third of cigarette packs. =93A ban on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship would eliminate one of our industry's most effective avenues for hooking kids and young adults to our addictive product line,=94 said Licensed to Kill CEO, Rich Fromdeth, =93It=92s heartening to have a president who stands up for the Big Guys, however unpopular or detrimental to public health it may be. Truthfully, we couldn't have a better administration representing our global business interests.=94 Licensed to Kill was officially incorporated in the state of Virginia on March 19, 2003. The company's purpose, as stated in its articles of incorporation, is "the manufacture and marketing of tobacco products in a way that each year kills over 400,000 Americans and 4.5 million other persons worldwide." The company has billed itself as an =93honest=94 tobacco company -- one tha= t does not seek to cover up the deadly nature of its business -- in the hopes of avoiding the plethora of lawsuits facing its competitors. The company=92s frank candor extends to its line of cigarettes, which include =93Global Massacre,=94 =93Genocide=94, =93WOMD," and =93Throat Hole.=94 Licensed to Kill, Inc fears that if the current draft text of the global health treaty is adopted by the World Health Assembly later this month, the company's ambitious plans for global expansion will be thwarted. =93It is absolutely vital that the U.S. not let global public health zealots sabotage our efforts to have a toothless treaty text adopted,=94 said company Director Gray Vastone, =93A strong treaty would force us to scuttle our corporate dream of a =93Global Massacre=94, =93WOMD=94, and =93= Morgue=94 in the mouth of every child, woman, and man around the world. A weak treaty, on the other hand, would protect our right to peddle our deadly products wherever and however we please.=94 =93We live in dangerous times, when a small number of radical public health nuts are intent on squelching our freedom to continue making a killing around the world. It is time to nip public health fundamentalism in the bud or our industry will forever be in peril,=94 said Fromdeth, =93The U.S. is just the right country to do that.=94 ### Note: Licensed to Kill, Inc is a strong believer in democracy, as in "government of, by, and for corporations." For more information about Licensed to Kill's plans for global expansion and commitment to corporate citizenship go to: http://www.licensedtokill.biz -- From awhite@essential.org Mon May 5 20:15:07 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@venice.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 46D1629B19 for ; Mon, 5 May 2003 20:15:07 -0400 (EDT) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9C567122 for ; Mon, 5 May 2003 20:14:57 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <3EB6FE4C.E57AB031@essential.org> Date: Mon, 05 May 2003 20:14:05 -0400 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: FCTC Update & Urgent Action Alert content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Dear Global "Tobacco Activists", Please find a very important action alert from Ross Hammond below. We encourage all of you to take action. The strength of the FCTC is at stake! Anna White Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control Essential Action #### Dear Colleagues: We are writing to update you on the status of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and to urge you to take action to protect this historic public health agreement. With less than three weeks to go before the final draft is to be considered at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, it is vital that the public health community makes its voice heard. We are asking you to write to your Minister of Health & Foreign Affairs, urging them to take stand at the Assembly in favor of a strong FCTC and against attempts to weaken it. This e-mail contains information on the following: 1. UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT ATTEMPTING TO DERAIL FCTC 2. SAMPLE LETTER TO MINISTERS OF HEALTH & FOREIGN AFFAIRS -- PLEASE SEND! 3. ARGUMENTS AGAINST RESERVATIONS 4. TELL THE UNITED STATES AND GERMANY TO STOP BLOCKING THE FCTC -- SIGN THE ONLINE PETITIONS 5. FCTC TEXT AND SUMMARY AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET ****************************************** 1. UNITED STATES ATTEMPTING TO DERAIL FCTC On the front page of the Washington Post and San Francisco Chronicle this morning were stories detailing attempts by the United States to derail the FCTC. Earlier this week the U.S. government sent a diplomatic note to all member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) asking them to support the deletion of the "no reservations" clause in the draft FCTC, which would effectively render the treaty meaningless. The U.S. Administration's attempts to reopen the negotiations in order to weaken the FCTC has drawn sharp criticism from the Democratic leadership in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as from public health groups. A letter from Senator Tom Daschle and Representative Nancy Pelosi to the Bush Administration can be found at: http://democraticleader.house.gov/media/releases/20030428-05-442757.asp The text of the U.S. diplomatic note can be found at: http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/pressoffice/release633/convention.pdf A letter from Congressman Henry Waxman to the Bush Administration can be found at: http://www.house.gov/reform/min/pdfs/pdf_inves/pdf_tobacco_global_april_29_= let.pdf The Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids issued the following statement today: http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/Script/DisplayPressRelease.php3?Display=3D63= 3 The text of the Washington Post article is at the end of this e-mail. 2. SAMPLE LETTER TO MINISTERS OF HEALTH & FOREIGN AFFAIRS -- PLEASE SEND! With less than three weeks before the World Health Assembly, it is critical that people contact their Ministers of Health and Foreign Affairs. Please ask them to reject attempts to reopen the negotiations on the FCTC on issues which have been settled after over three years of negotiations. Instead, they should use the opportunity presented by the World Health Assembly to announce their support for implementing the strongest measures contemplated the Convention. ASH-UK sent the following letter to the UK Minister of Health. We are urging everybody to adapt this letter and send it to their Health and Foreign Affairs Ministers as soon as possible. After sending, please follow up to see if it is possible to arrange a meeting with them or their representatives. SAMPLE LETTER TO THE MINISTER OF HEALTH Dear Minister, We are writing to you a little less than three weeks before the World Health Assembly in Geneva (19-28 May) is expected to formally adopt the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). We believe that the FCTC contains the basis for the global response needed to curb the tobacco epidemic that, if unchecked, could kill one billion people this century. The success of the FCTC will largely depend on the ability and the political will of the Parties to implement the strongest tobacco control measures envisaged in the draft Convention. However, as you may know, a small number of countries are seeking to weaken the treaty by attempting to reopen the negotiations and delete the 'no reservations' clause. We are writing to urge you to oppose this effort, and instead use the opportunity granted by the World Health Assembly to send a powerful signal to the world and to the tobacco industry that the protection of public health is paramount. Accordingly, we would like to request that you use your vote at the World Health Assembly to oppose any effort to reopen the negotiations. We would also ask that you speak out during the debate in favor of a strong FCTC, and declare that our country: * will endeavour to become a party to the FCTC before the 57th World Health Assembly in May 2004; * intends to act in accordance with FCTC Article 13.2, and start without delay procedures to undertake a comprehensive ban on all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; * shall apply the most stringent measures envisaged in FCTC Article 11, including ensuring that health warnings are of a size not less than 50% of the principal display areas, and eliminating the use of the misleading terms "low tar", "light", "ultra-light", "mild" and others, and * will ban smoking in public places, public transport and indoor workplaces. We look forward to working with you in a constructive manner, before and during the World Health Assembly. We look forward to your feedback with regard to the approach proposed above. Yours sincerely, 3. ARGUMENTS AGAINST HAVING RESERVATIONS IN THE FCTC One of the key demands of the United States (as well as Germany, the Dominican Republic and small handful of countries) is the deletion of the 'no-reservations' clause. The issue of reservations (i.e. the ability of a state to agree to a treaty while unilaterally "opting out" of obligations that it finds objectionable) was discussed during the negotiation process. While most nations supported a "no reservations" clause in the treaty, the United States consistently argued that reservations should be allowed. Here are three key arguments against the U.S. proposal: It is inappropriate. This contentious issue should not be reopened after it has been fully debated and settled by the parties over the course of nearly 3 and half years of negotiations. It is risky. Reopening the treaty, and doing so on a major issue, could trigger a debate that cannot be resolved at the WHA. It also could lead other nations to request reconsideration of other issues that they feel strongly about. This could jeopardize the entire treaty. It is harmful. Allowing reservations undermines the modest obligations included in the FCTC and makes the treaty, in effect, a policy menu. The tobacco industry will work hard to convince nations that it is easier to "reserve" than to improve tobacco control policies. Health groups will need to counter the industry on a country-by-country basis. 4. TELL THE UNITED STATES AND GERMANY TO STOP BLOCKING THE FCTC -- SIGN THE ONLINE PETITIONS Please sign the following online petitions to the U.S. and German governments asking them to stop trying to undermine the FCTC. To send a letter to the Bush Administration, go to: http://tfk.grassroots.com/TobaccoTreatyNow/TakeAction/ To send a letter to the German government, go to: http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=3Dfctc_de 5. FCTC TEXT AND SUMMARY AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET The full text of the draft FCTC is available on the internet at: http://www.who.int/gb/fctc/PDF/inb6/einb65.pdf The Framework Convention Alliance has produced a short (3-page) summary of the FCTC text. It can be found at: http://www.fctc.org Please let us know if there is any more information we can provide you and please let us know if you have any success with your government. Thank you. Ross Hammond (on behalf of the Framework Convention Alliance) http://www.fctc.org ------------------------------------------------ U.S. Seeks to Alter Anti-Tobacco Treaty 'Reservations' Clause Sought as Way Out of Some Provisions By Marc Kaufman Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, April 30, 2003; Page A01 The United States told the World Health Organization this week that it is unlikely to sign the first treaty to curtail tobacco use worldwide unless the 171 nations that hammered out its language agree to a clause that would allow governments to opt out of any provision they find objectionable. The Bush administration says it needs the "reservations" clause to ensure that the United States could disregard treaty requirements it considered constitutionally questionable. But anti-tobacco activists and foreign diplomats say the demand is an attempt to water down the treaty to benefit tobacco companies or to unravel the agreement entirely. The draft of the treaty, which calls for nations to adopt a wide range of tobacco-control initiatives, was overwhelmingly approved at a Geneva conference in March. Since then, only the United States and the Dominican Republic have objected, WHO officials said. "It is the intent of the United States to sign the [treaty] and to press for its ratification by our Senate," said the letter, delivered Monday to WHO Director General Gro Harlem Bruntland and to health and foreign ministers worldwide. "However, as noted in our statement at the final negotiating session, our ability to sign and ratify the [treaty] is undermined by the current prohibition on reservations." While the treaty would change the way many nations regulate tobacco, it would do little to change American tobacco control practices or policies. Provisions such as global restrictions on advertising, however, would have a potentially great impact on American tobacco companies that increasingly make their profits from cigarette sales abroad. In Monday's letter, the United States asked for support in changing the language before the treaty is officially adopted at a World Health Assembly meeting May 19. WHO officials and delegates to the negotiations said they do not expect the language to be renegotiated at that meeting, and doubt that a consensus to include a "reservations" clause can be reached informally beforehand. During more than three years of negotiations, U.S. officials have tried to have the clause added. "I think it is impossible to reach a consensus, and this could easily be the end of the entire tobacco convention," said Belgian negotiator Luk Joossens. "If you open one article, it will encourage other nations to open articles they don't like. And if the reservations are included, then crucial aspects of the entire effort will be weakened. There is a lot of anger in so many countries about this American action." The goal of the treaty, which would be the first successfully negotiated under the auspices of WHO, is to significantly reduce cigarette smoking worldwide. It includes a ban on tobacco advertising except where a ban would violate national laws, it encourages nations to raise tobacco taxes to discourage smoking, and it calls for specific steps to control tobacco use, such as requiring that health warnings on cigarette packages take up 30 to 50 percent of the display area. The treaty also includes tobacco-control programs that require considerable funding. The United States has been the largest donor to that effort, and some delegates said they believed the United States was using the threat of cutting off its funding to persuade delegates to vote for its positions. In recent years, the United States has balked at or pulled out of a series of major international agreements -- including the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, the International Criminal Court and Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. William Pierce, spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, said the primary concern of U.S. negotiators is that parts of the treaty could prove to be unconstitutional by interfering, for instance, with tobacco companies' free speech rights. In addition, he said, the treaty calls on Congress to approve policy changes it might not accept -- such as changing the size of warning labels. "A lot of our problem has to do with the broadness of the treaty," Pierce said. "Broadness and vagueness are something our court system oftentimes takes a dim view of. Since we are signing on to a treaty with other nations, they could bring this up and use this vagueness in a way that, in this country, would not be constitutional." Pierce said no formal decision has been made on what the United States will do if the "reservation" clause is not adopted. If the United States does not sign the agreement, its representatives cannot take part in meetings that will follow to refine and implement the treaty. He said this would be a problem in at least one issue that the United States is keenly interested in -- cigarette smuggling and the connection between illicit cigarette sales and terrorist groups. Tobacco-control activists say that the United States has already won a number of concessions over constitutional concerns and that U.S. officials appear to be acting now for other reasons. "This looks like an American effort to blow up the treaty, or to neutralize it for the benefit of Philip Morris and other cigarette makers," said Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Myers said many smaller nations have voiced concern that tobacco companies will pressure them to opt out of specific provisions -- such as the advertising ban -- if the reservations clause is added. "Basically, allowing reservations would let the tobacco companies go back to these smaller nations and renegotiate the treaty," he said. Even before the Bush administration's letter was released, Democrats had sought to make a political issue of the tobacco negotiations. In a letter to President Bush sent Friday, Senate Democratic leader Thomas A. Daschle (S.D.) and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) applauded him for his public statements that tobacco use is the greatest health issue facing the nation, but said the delegation in Geneva negotiated in a different spirit. "In contrast to these public statements, your Administration went to great lengths to weaken many important provisions of the treaty," they wrote. "In addition to advancing weak language, the U.S. delegation also inappropriately pressured other nations to adopt U.S. positions." WHO officials sought to put the best face on the dispute. "We appear to have 95 [percent] to 98 percent of nations happy with the text, and two that want to have changes," said Derek Yach, who has led the WHO effort. "I think we have to be quite pleased with that." =A9 2003 The Washington Post Company *************************** Ross Hammond, Consultant 242 Edna Street San Francisco, CA 94112-1807 USA Tel. 1-415-452-9322 Fax. 1-415-680-2364 http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/campaign/global/ From awhite@essential.org Fri May 23 01:25:10 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@venice.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id E948629B37 for ; Fri, 23 May 2003 01:25:09 -0400 (EDT) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 320C6266 for ; Fri, 23 May 2003 01:24:09 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <3ECDB13C.231EE48D@essential.org> Date: Fri, 23 May 2003 01:27:24 -0400 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: A fashionable way to support global tobacco control efforts... content-transfer-encoding: 7bit content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Dear Global "Tobacco-Activists", As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. This is certainly true when it comes to monitoring the tobacco industry's marketing and promotional efforts around the world. We would like to step up our efforts to document what the industry is up to abroad, by distributing used cameras to tobacco control advocates in low-income countries. Our goal is to distribute the first batch of used cameras to international colleagues attending the 12th World Conference on Tobacco or Health (August 3-8, 2003), along with film, tips for taking effective photos, and some money for processing. Not only will these photos enhance our international colleagues' advocacy efforts at home, they will directly benefit our efforts in the U.S. to expose the tobacco industry for what it really is. Some photos really "say it all"... Free cigarette distribution to young women (Romania) http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/photos/ro/winstonlightup.jpg Marlboro baby clothes (Senegal) http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/photos/sn/Marlbaby.jpg Benson & Hedges concert (India) http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/photos/in/b&hconcert.jpg We need to collect more photos like these! Towards that end, Essential Action is launching a fundraiser to cover the costs of purchasing and distributing photographic equipment to tobacco control groups abroad. For just $20, we'll send you a super-fashionable "Revoke the License to Kill" t-shirt. Check it out: http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/photos/LtK030423/rc293.jpg http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/photos/LtK030423/rc_187.jpg We think you'll agree that this t-shirt is perfect attire for tobacco control conferences and rallies, a great gift for friends and colleagues, and ideal for mischievous fun (e.g. freaking out tobacco industry lobbyists at public hearings!). It's simple: the more t-shirts you purchase, the more used cameras we will be able to distribute, and the better we'll be able to monitor what the tobacco industry is up to around the world. Extra bonus: every time you wear the t-shirt you'll be a walking counter-advertisement! We are currently taking orders for t-shirts (see order form below). So that we know how many t-shirts to have made, we would appreciate it if you sent us your completed order forms and checks to us no later than JUNE 20, 2003. Please spread the word about this fundraiser! *********************************************** "REVOKE THE LICENSE TO KILL" T-SHIRT ORDER FORM *********************************************** A fashionable way to support tobacco control efforts abroad and help monitor Big Tobacco's global expansion! Please print, fill out, and mail this form with a check for the appropriate amount. Size Quantity Subtotal XL _____ L _____ M _____ S _____ Total # _____ x $20 = ______ -------------------------------- Additional donation $______ (entire amount will go to support global monitoring of industry) -------------------------------- Shipping & Handling Total # of Shipping t-shirts Cost* _____ x $_____ = $______ * RATES # of shirts cost per shirt 1 - 5 $2.50 6 - 10 $2.00 11 < $1.50 -------------------------------- GRAND TOTAL: $______ -------------------------------- SHIPPING ADDRESS Name: ______________________ Address: ______________________ City: ______________________ State: ______________________ Zip Code: ______________________ Email: ______________________ Tel: ______________________ Please make checks payable to: ESSENTIAL INFORMATION Order form and checks should be sent to: Attn: Anna White Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control Essential Action P.O. Box 19405 Washington, DC 20036 NOTES: 1) All money received -- minus the actual costs of t-shirts, shipping, and handling -- will go towards the distribution of tobacco industry monitoring tool kits (camera, film, & processing cost) to tobacco control advocates in low-income countries. 2) We anticipate sending out the t-shirts by mid-July. ******************************************************** THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING GLOBAL TOBACCO CONTROL EFFORTS! ******************************************************** From awhite@essential.org Wed Jul 16 23:24:48 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@venice.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0B4CD29B8E for ; Wed, 16 Jul 2003 23:24:48 -0400 (EDT) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9B8D4C0 for ; Wed, 16 Jul 2003 23:24:46 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <3F161834.B4984212@essential.org> Date: Wed, 16 Jul 2003 23:29:56 -0400 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: Take Action: Categorize Tobacco as a 'Drug' in NIGERIA content-transfer-encoding: 7bit content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: ******************************************************* Take Action: Categorize Tobacco as a 'Drug' in NIGERIA! ******************************************************* Dear Global "Tobacco-Activists", In commemoration of the International Day Against Substance Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, People Against Drug Dependence & Ignorance (PADDI) has launched an advocacy campaign to encourage the Nigerian government to officially classify tobacco as a 'drug'. The campaign is focused on the Director General of the Nigerian National Agency for Food, Drug Administration & Control (NAFDAC) -- the Nigerian equivalent of the American FDA. According to PADDI, "NAFDAC has recorded successes in tackling the scourge of adultrated and fake drugs in the Nigerian market. NAFDAC has also succeeded in regulating the availability and dispensation of drugs in Nigeria. PADDI believes that NAFDAC should now extend its successes and expertise to regulate the consumption of 'nicotine delivery devices' - otherwise known as cigarettes. By officially categorizing tobacco as a 'drug', its sale, consumption and marketing would be curtailed and monitored." TAKE ACTION! Click on the link below to send a letter to NAFDAC's Director General (letter is prewritten, but we encourage you to take a minute or two to personalize it) http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=nigeria Recently Eze Eluchie, PADDI's Executive Director was on a one hour national television program, ISSUES on Minaj Broadcasting International (MBI). The topic was on treating tobacco as a drug. Read more of PADDI's public statements on this issue: Press Release on International Day Against Drug Abuse & Illicit Trafficking - PADDI Nigeria (Address delivered by PADDI at a Media-NGO-Civil Society roundtable discussion) http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/letter/ng0307/press.html Letter from PADDI to NAFDAC re: classifying tobacco as a 'drug' http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/letter/ng0307/letter.html Additional information on this topic will be added to Essential Action's website, as it becomes available: http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco/letter/ng0307/ Thank you in advance for supporting tobacco control efforts in Nigeria! --------------------------------------- Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control Essential Action P.O. Box 19405 Washington, DC 20036 Tel: +1 202-387-8030 Fax: +1 202-234-5176 Email: tobacco@essential.org http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco From awhite@essential.org Mon Jul 28 22:39:50 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 47B2729B66 for ; Mon, 28 Jul 2003 22:39:50 -0400 (EDT) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0001293 for ; Mon, 28 Jul 2003 22:39:49 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <3F25DFBD.167A1695@essential.org> Date: Mon, 28 Jul 2003 22:45:18 -0400 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: Take Action: Stop Criminal Investigation of Tobacco Control Advocate! (RUSSIA) content-transfer-encoding: 7bit content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: ****************************************** TAKE ACTION: Stop Criminal Investigation Against Leader of "For a Tobacco-Free Ryazan" ****************************************** Dear Global "Tobacco-Activists", Tatiana Andreeva of ADIC-Ukraine has brought an urgent matter to our attention. In the city of Ryazan (Russian Federation), a group called "For a Tobacco-Free Ryazan" was launched earlier this year. The group recently addressed the executives of local advertising agencies and invited them to stop advertising tobacco. In response, the executives have accused the leader of the group, Mr. Yuriy Zelenkevich, of threatening their business, and have launched a criminal investigation against him. A local lawyer believes the investigation's real purpose is to pressure the new group into stopping its campaign. TAKE ACTION: ADIC-Ukraine and Essential Action have set up an online email campaign targeting the Ryazan city administration, oblast administration, city council, and regional parliament. Please click on the link below and write a few sentences urging them to put an end to the criminal investigation! http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=ryazan Talking points to guide you: * The criminal investigation against Mr. Yuriy Zelenkevish should be stopped immediately! * The activities of "For a Tobacco-Free Ryazan" have international support * Tobacco advertising is a tool used to spread the tobacco epidemic * Tobacco advertising is already banned in many countries around the world, and a recent international health treaty mandates a total ban * This issue should be addressed at the level of local/national authorities and parliament -- not through the criminal justice system! * A sentence or two about your organization or personal interest in tobacco control For more information about about "For a Tobacco-Free Ryazan" go to: http://contact.tobinfo.org/2003/07/ryazan/ Let us show Ryazan officials that Mr. Zelenkevish has the strong support of people around the world! --------------------------------------- Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control Essential Action P.O. Box 19405 Washington, DC 20036 Tel: +1 202-387-8030 Fax: +1 202-234-5176 Email: tobacco@essential.org http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco From awhite@essential.org Fri Sep 5 17:06:14 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2A1ED29B40 for ; Fri, 5 Sep 2003 17:06:14 -0400 (EDT) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3049E96 for ; Fri, 5 Sep 2003 17:06:13 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <3F58FC52.75374756@essential.org> Date: Fri, 05 Sep 2003 17:12:50 -0400 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: Take Action: Ban Tobacco Ads at Shanghai Formula 1 Race! content-transfer-encoding: 7bit content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: ******************************************************** Take Action: Ban Tobacco Ads at Shanghai Formula 1 Race! ******************************************************** Dear Global "Tobacco-Activists", This is a very important issue, with implications not only for other countries that are fighting tobacco industry sponsorship of Formula 1 races in their countries, but for public health in all countries that air Formula 1 races on television. We urge you to: 1) Take a moment to click on the link below, fill in your name, and hit "Send my letter!" (letter is pre-written). 2) Forward this alert to your local tobacco control email lists, colleagues, family, and friends. http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=shanghai Brief background: The World Health Organisation has called for a worldwide ban on tobacco sponsorship to be introduced in international law by 2006, which has the backing of Formula 1 racing's governing body, the International Motoring Federation (FIA). As many governments have already banned tobacco promotion, events are no longer possible in western countries*, and F1 racing is currently planned for Shanghai and Bahrain. Many are concerned that tobacco advertising would be beamed throughout China and worldwide on television from the races if tobacco advertising is allowed. The event will take place, but there is a window of opportunity for damage limitation. For more info, click on the link above. Thanks for taking action! Anna White Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control Essential Action P.O. Box 19405 Washington, DC 20036 Tel: +1 202-387-8030 Fax: +1 234-5176 Email: tobacco@essential.org http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco From awhite@essential.org Thu Sep 18 11:51:58 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2182629B0F for ; Thu, 18 Sep 2003 11:51:58 -0400 (EDT) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id E033A8E for ; Thu, 18 Sep 2003 11:51:57 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <3F69D63F.EB4B0BE8@essential.org> Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2003 11:58:56 -0400 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: TAKE ACTION: Stop BAT -- Declare All African Games Tobacco-Free content-transfer-encoding: 7bit content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Dear Global "Tobacco-Activists", The 8th All African Games is scheduled to be held in Abuja, Nigeria from October 4th to 18th. The game will draw 6,000 athletes from 53 African countries, who will compete in 22 sports. The games will be a huge media event, covered by 1,500 journalists. Big businesses are already jostling for sponsorship space not only during the sports events, but also ancillary social and cultural events. Till now there is no concrete evidence that the British American Tobacco (BAT), the biggest tobacco company in the country, has secured any sponsorship deal with the game organizers. However, BAT is said to be making plans to distribute free branded materials like T- Shirts, Face caps or possibly cigarettes during the social and cultural events. The organizers have also not come out publicly to declare the event tobacco-free. TAKE ACTION: Akinbode Oluwafemi of ERA/FoE (Nigeria) appeals to colleagues worldwide to take a few seconds to click on the link below and send a pre-written letter demanding that the games be declared tobacco-free. http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=africagames Thanks for taking action! --------------------------------------- Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control Essential Action P.O. Box 19405 Washington, DC 20036 Tel: +1 202-387-8030 Fax: +1 202-234-5176 Email: tobacco@essential.org http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco From awhite@essential.org Thu Sep 18 12:39:24 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id AF90829B0F for ; Thu, 18 Sep 2003 12:39:24 -0400 (EDT) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 7D80E8E for ; Thu, 18 Sep 2003 12:39:24 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <3F69E15F.BC67399@essential.org> Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2003 12:46:23 -0400 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: Take Action: Get tobacco out of Formula One! content-transfer-encoding: 7bit content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Following is an urgent request from international public health advocates and a news article explaining how Canada (and other countries) are being blackmailed into promoting smoking via Formula One car races. Please take several minutes to sign the petitions. #### Dear tobacco control colleagues: Tobacco control advocates around the world need to stand up to global blackmail from Formula One and the tobacco industry! Please sign FOUR Globalink petitions, one to Canada, congratulating the Prime Minister for putting an end to tobacco advertising in Formula One racing, even at the cost of losing Canada's Formula One race, and three more to each of China, Bahrain and Turkey urging them to maintain their existing bans on tobacco advertising and sponsorship and prevent tobacco advertising from ever appearing on Formula One race cars in their countries. Will the simple act of adding your name and address to petitions really get tobacco advertising out of Formula One all around the world? Maybe not, but it will sure help a lot! Please take two minutes to add your name to four Globalink petitions (three if you have already signed the one to China) aimed at getting tobacco out of Formula One around the world. You can do so by going to the following four web addresses: Canada: http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=canada Bahrain http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=bahrain Turkey http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=turkey China*: http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=shanghai * Over two hundred tobacco control advocates have already signed this petition to the Chinese Health Minister, Madam Wu Yi. You need only sign this one if you have not already done so. It will be sent to Madam Wu Yi very soon. Thank you for your help! Neil Collishaw, Research Director Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada ncollishaw@smoke-free.ca #### Grand Prix strategy sputters in Ottawa By Drew Fagan Globe and Mail (Toronto, CA) September 16, 2003 Bernie Ecclestone may have overplayed his hand. The Liberal government's backbone stiffened yesterday in the battle over its controversial antitobacco legislation, which will ban sponsorships at high-profile events such as Montreal's Canadian Grand Prix and is to go into effect on Oct. 1. Government sources suggested yesterday the federal government is now leaning toward allowing the legislation to go into effect unchanged, even if this guarantees that the Formula One auto-racing circuit bypasses Montreal in 2004 and thereafter. The reason: Many cabinet ministers believe that Mr. Ecclestone, who runs the F1 operation almost as a private fiefdom, isn't interested in any kind of compromise. Indeed, some government officials wonder whether Mr. Ecclestone's real concern is the tobacco legislation at all. Perhaps he just doesn't want to stop in Montreal any more, they suggest, and is more interested in seeking out new venues in Europe and Asia. If that's the case, what's the point of even considering a compromise, such as a further delay of legislation that already included a multiyear phase-in period when passed in 1998? Mr. Ecclestone has fuelled his hard-line reputation with suggestions that a delay until 2005 of Canada's new law (coinciding with implementation of a similar ban by the European Union) wouldn't be sufficient. He wants a permanent exemption from Canada's legislation for his auto race. "That's simply not possible," Health Minister Anne McLellan responded yesterday, after she hailed the new law as an example of Canadian leadership in the fight against smoking. "We've been through this; we've made this clear." As recently as last weekend, pressure on Ottawa was growing quickly to find just about any way to keep the annual auto race. Proposed solutions have included a delay of the law or massive federal support for the race to compensate organizers for the loss of tobacco sponsorship. When antitobacco activists realized yesterday that Ottawa was seriously reassessing the situation, they quickly rallied, calling cabinet members and the media. Cynthia Callard, executive director of Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, argues it would not be easy for Ottawa to delay the sponsorship law again, since Canada signed an international convention this year that includes a commitment not to permit the export of tobacco advertising. F1 races, broadcast worldwide, would appear to violate that. "At some point, when you are dealing with a blackmailer, you have to say no," added Francis Thompson of the Non-Smokers Rights Association. Indeed, the word blackmail in relation to Mr. Ecclestone received wide airing yesterday on Parliament Hill. Why, MPs wonder, has Mr. Ecclestone been willing to compromise regarding antitobacco legislation in France and England but not in Canada? He may miss Montreal more than he realizes, they suggest, since the race has consistently been profitable there over its 25-year history, drawing hordes of fans from North America and Europe. Federal officials emphasize that Ottawa is continuing to seek a compromise, alongside members of the Liberal government in Quebec. A senior federal minister from Quebec was expected to provide an update at yesterday's cabinet meeting, but did not due to scheduling reasons. For the moment, attention is focused on an ad hoc task force comprising federal, provincial and private sector representatives, which is continuing to seek a compromise acceptable to all sides, including Mr. Ecclestone. One strategy has been to appeal to the race-car owners themselves to try to find non-tobacco sponsors for the Montreal race. "There is a small door open," said an aide to Justice Minister Martin Cauchon. But many wonder if it may be too little, too late, and that the odds of the race being saved are growing longer. And they hope, perhaps beyond hope, that Mr. Ecclestone may one day realize the error of his ways and seek to return to Montreal. From awhite@essential.org Fri Sep 26 14:15:33 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id E1F0C29B3F for ; Fri, 26 Sep 2003 14:15:33 -0400 (EDT) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id BD40A91 for ; Fri, 26 Sep 2003 14:15:33 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <3F7483F5.4DB47D52@essential.org> Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2003 14:22:45 -0400 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: Update: STOP BAT, Declare 8th All African Games Tobacco-Free! content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Dear Friends, If you have not already participated in campaign to have the 8th All African Games be declared tobacco-free, please do! Over 245 people have sent emails so far, and the campaign is garnering significant press in Nigeria. Below is an update from Akinbode Oluwafemi (Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth), followed by some of the media coverage. To participate, just fill in your name and hit "send" at: http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=3Dafricagames Thanks to all who have participated so far! ### Friends, We held a press briefing in Lagos yesterday on the petition on the 8th All African Games. It was a well-attended press briefing. By evening yesterday it was reported in three TV Channels, Minaj Broadcast International (MBI) Galaxy TV and Murhi International Television (MITV).This morning stories of the briefing appeared in two newspapers; This day and The Punch. Thanks to all who have signed the petition. We still need more. The newspapers reports are below. Akinbode Oluwafemi Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria. No 1 , Balogun Street , Off Awolowo Way, Ikeja Lagos 234-14932606, 234-8033039004 #### Group Wants Tobacco Free Games By Godwin Haruna This Day www.thisdayonline.com Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) has initiated a move aimed at making COJA, the organisers of the All African Games tagged Abuja 2003, to declare the games tobacco-free. Addressing a press conference in Lagos yesterday, Mr. Akinbode Oluwafemi, a tobacco control advocate of ERA/FoEN stated that tobacco currently kills 4.9 million people annually. Oluwafemi said his group initiated an on-line petition titled: "Stop BAT: Declare 8th All African Games Tobacco Free" last week in which over 200 groups across the globe have endorsed. He said the petition, once signed on-line at www globalink.org, goes straight to COJA secretariat in Abuja and IOC secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland. "Our demands are that COJA should publicly declare the Abuja Games tobacco free in line with the practice for an international games event of its status. By so doing, COJA will be making a public declaration that it will not accept any money from the tobacco industry," Oluwafemi stated. He said COJA should come out with a tobacco free policy for the games such as prohibition of smoking in all the games' venues, outlawing the sales and free distribution of tobacco products in and around the games' venues and prohibition of the free tobacco branded products. Others, he said, include banning of smoking in all COJA vehicles and collaborating with the ministry of health, WHO and NGOs to incorporate tobacco free lifestyle activity into COJA programmes. Also speaking at the forum, ERA head of Lagos Office, Mr. Doifie Ola, urged the Federal Government to expedite action on the signing and ratification of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). #### Group advocates tobacco-free Games Temitope Ajayi The punch, Sept 25, 2003 As Nigeria prepares to host the 8th All Africa Games, a group of non-governmental organizations has called for tobacco-free games in line with international campaign against smoking. The Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth on Wednesday at a news conference in Lagos said that the World Health Organisation and other international bodies has made it a point of duty to partner with sports ruling bodies to make sure that no tobacco company used any international sporting event s to promote cigarette smoking. Mr. Akinbode Oluwafemi who spoke on behalf of its group said its international partners had already petitioned the Executive Director of COJA, D. Amos Adamu, and the International Olympic Committee on the need for the organizers of Abuja 2003 to respect the international convention on smoking. In the letter to IOC and COJA, the group said, "There is no evidence that COJA has accepted sponsorship from tobacco industry, but we are worried about reports that the tobacco industry is planning to distribute its branded products and cigarettes during the games and other social events associated with it. "We are also concerned that COJA has not come out publicly to declare the 8th All Africa Games tobacco-free in line with the practice in international sporting events of this magnitude". Alluding to FIFA World Cup an the Olympics where smoking is prohibited because of its health implications, the group urged Adamu and the federal government to use ABUJA 2003 to promote tobacco-free lifestyle among athletes and African youths. It therefore charged COJA to ban smoking in all the games venues and COJA buses, prohibition of tobacco branded products and to collaborate with media house to ensure tobacco companies did not use the media advantage of the games to promote smoking among young people. #### ERA wants Abuja 2003 tobacco free Daily Times http://www.dailytimesofnigeria.com/DailyTimes/2003/September/26/ERAwants.as= p A call has gone to the Organising Committee for the 8th All Africa Games (COJA) to declare the Abuja 2003 tobacco free in line with the practice for an international event of this status. The call came from a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), Environmental Action Rights (ERA) during a public declaration held in Lagos on Wednesday. According to ERA=92s Tobacco Control Advocate, Akinbode Oluwafemi, intelligence report has it that a tobacco company is planning to distribute its branded products in one of the COJA=92s activities during the games, warning that if this act is allowed to sail through, Abuja 2003 would have violated the global cry of sporting community against tobacco which International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) are signatory to. #### Group wants Abuja 2003 declared tobacco-free By Bamidele Osha Daily Independent, Lagos www.dailyindependentng.com Environmental Rights Action/ Friends of the Earth, Nigeria (ERA/FoEN ), a non-governmental organisation, has mounted a strong media campaign to prevail over COJA, the organising committee for the 8TH All Africa Games, to declare the sports fiesta =93Tobacco Free.=94 Delivering a paper titled =93Kicking out tobacco from the playground,=94 Akinbode Oluwafemi, Tobacco Control Advocate of the group argued that tobacco was a health hazard and =93tobacco kills 4.9 million people annually. It has been scientifically linked to sundry health problems. Tobacco is a major risk factor for dreadful diseases such as cancer, heart attack, hypertension and asthma. It is linked to psychological disorders, miscarriages, infertility, low birth weight and mental retardation among children.=94 Oluwafemi berated the tobacco industry for employing tendentious and misleading strategies in the marketing of a product with such devastating consequences on public health and the environment. =93The only route opened to the industry was the elevation of deception as marketing ethics. The tobacco industries have implemented their advertising campaigns to present death as life. They do this by carefully associating tobacco with the good things of life like sports, fashion and music.=94 He averred that models were shown in expressions of pure ecstasy, eulogising the pleasures to be derived from the consumption of tobacco, luring thousands of our youths into cigarette smoking daily. ERA accused the tobacco industry of using sports particularly in marketing its products, pointing specifically to the industry=92s sponsorship of sporting events and competitions. The body, in a petition to COJA and the International Olympic Committee, prayed COJA to reject the sponsorship offers from tobacco companies and their attempts to use the platform provided by the All Africa Games as an avenue for exhibiting and marketing their branded products. Doifie Ola, Programme Director, ERA, said that the tobacco companies were well aware of the dangers of their products but were resolved in their attempts to bleed individuals of appreciable wealth and health saying. The group has, therefore, promised to register a strong presence at the Abuja Games, which is billed to flag-off on October 4, 2003 primarily to sensitise the public on the destructive content and qualities of the inhalation of tobacco and its accompanying environmental hazards. =93We want COJA to prohibit smoking in all games venues, outlaw the sales and free distribution of tobacco products in and around the games venues. =93Prohibits free distribution of tobacco branded products including T-shirts, free caps, pens among others, ban smoking in all COJA vehicles and collaborates with the Federal Ministry of Health, World Health Organisation (WHO) and the NGOs to incorporate tobacco free lifestyle activity into COJA programmes. ERA however warns that it would have no choice to alert the attention of the IOC of violation of its tobacco free sports policy which may attracts sanction on the country should COJA fails to heed to its call. =93Already, we have sent a petition to COJA signed by over 2000 people as a reminder for them to make Abuja 2003 tobacco free events=94, said Akinbode. --------------------------------------- Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control Essential Action P.O. Box 19405 Washington, DC 20036 Tel: +1 202-387-8030 Fax: +1 202-234-5176 Email: tobacco@essential.org http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco From awhite@essential.org Fri Sep 26 15:39:03 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2958329B3F for ; Fri, 26 Sep 2003 15:39:03 -0400 (EDT) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0D06191 for ; Fri, 26 Sep 2003 15:39:03 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <3F749785.45462455@essential.org> Date: Fri, 26 Sep 2003 15:46:13 -0400 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: Take Action: Encourage Uganda to sign the FCTC! content-transfer-encoding: 7bit content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Dear Friends, Uganda's Minister of Health has in two recent speeches pledged to sign and ratify the FCTC. In the latter, he mentioned September 2003 as the date by which Uganda will have ratified the FCTC. September is drawing to a close, yet Uganda still hasn't signed the FCTC, let alone ratify it. Phillip Karugaba of The Environmental Action Network believes the Uganda's Minister of Health could use some additional encouragement from tobacco control advocates around the world. TAKE ACTION: Add your name to a petition to Uganda's Minister of Health http://petition.globalink.org/view.php?code=ugfctc Thanks for taking action! --------------------------------------- Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control Essential Action P.O. Box 19405 Washington, DC 20036 Tel: +1 202-387-8030 Fax: +1 202-234-5176 Email: tobacco@essential.org http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco From awhite@essential.org Tue Oct 7 11:53:44 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Received: from genoa.essential.org (genoa.essential.org [65.222.222.34]) by lists.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id C023329B3D for ; Tue, 7 Oct 2003 11:53:44 -0400 (EDT) Received: from essential.org (joshua.essential.org [65.222.222.241]) by genoa.essential.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 8E2AF8E for ; Tue, 7 Oct 2003 11:53:44 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <3F82E34B.D8331813@essential.org> Date: Tue, 07 Oct 2003 12:01:15 -0400 From: Anna White Organization: Essential Action X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.79 [en]C-CCK-MCD NSCPCD473 (Win98; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Subject: Take Action: Stop JTI sponsorship of Craig David show (Malaysia) content-transfer-encoding: 7bit content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Sender: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org Errors-To: tobacco-activist-admin@lists.essential.org X-BeenThere: tobacco-activist@lists.essential.org Precedence: bulk List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Id: Action alerts on timely issues re: Big Tobacco's global expansion List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: Dear Friends, Please take a moment to add your name to this urgent petition (click on link below). Some background information on the issue, from ASH-UK: Craig David, one of the UK's leading R&B artists is performing in Penang, Malaysia, as part of his STYA Tour. The show in Penang is being sponsored by Japan Tobacco nternational and is going to b